Aftershocks
by Tempesty
Summary: Four years after besting the Hoenn League, May gets a call from the Champion of Sinnoh, Dawn, informing her that something bad has happened to Steven Stone, and that she should travel to the northern region as soon as possible; she then realizes that the aftermath of the conflict between Kyogre and Groudon had more of an effect on the world than she'd thought. RSE-verse, dai/haru
1. Chapter 1

1.

 **4 years after the induction of Champion May into the Hoenn Pokemon League Hall of Fame**

* * *

"Four years, undefeated," chimed the ex-Gym Leader Wallace, donned in his usual white cap and cloak, as well as that suave, yet cheeky smirk he always seemed to wear when he wasn't around any reporters. "That's really something, May."

The trainer was pouring himself a glass of red wine, and moved to fill the one across from him as well. May pulled her glass out from beneath the bottle just before the substance could dribble out; if Wallace had had a drop more of the drink earlier he would've spilled the substance all over the table. "I'll just have water, thank you."

The leader pouted, but did as asked, moving to the sink to fill up the glass. The younger trainer was a little peeved. Ever since she'd hit drinking age – somehow, her birthday had been revealed to the public, and she suspected it was Brendan's doing – Wallace had been pestering her for 'just a glass', though with how snoopy she found the man to be, part of her suspected he wanted to get her a little tipsy so she'd leak a few secrets about her life. _At this point, what is there he doesn't know, though?_ Thought the girl with a frown.

"It's a long time for a Champion," he continued, sitting back down at the chic minibar he had in his mansion of a house. Some of the more recent renovations were thanks to the kind Champion pay he was getting, by helping out May with work. "Lance only made it two, before that girl Lyra kicked him off his throne."

The trainer sitting across the bar from Wallace gulped down her water. She remembered hearing about that, and wanting to meet Lyra someday. Someday, when she could travel out of the region, she supposed. There'd been plenty of League challengers over the years, some powerful and some not so much. And though she came to find she wasn't one for glorification, it came to her nonetheless.

"Yeah," was her only reply, lips pursed.

Wallace's smirk grew. "You don't even _need_ to be drunk for me to see something's up."

May glanced at him now, irritation flaring up in her chest. Her fingers tightened around the bottom of the ornate wine glass she held, though she was not conscious of it. "I'm just stressed."

Wallace rolled his glass in his hand and leaned back in the chair he was seated in, gazing out the sliding glass door to his right that looked out across Sootopolis. May followed his gaze, quietly. It was beautiful; the bowl-shaped city was a sea of white houses with gray and blue accents, much easier on the eyes than Lilycove or Slateport, the Champion found. Yet still, every time she saw this landscape, images from four years prior flowed through her mind like it was yesterday.

"Stressed? But you're finally getting a vacation!" cooed Wallace. "The Four would kill for a break as long as you're getting, May."

The young Champion couldn't argue with that. Sydney, especially, was antsy on those days where he was cooped up in Ever Grande sunup to sundown, but it was nothing a good battle with a challenger couldn't quell. She smiled at the thought of the group, who'd seemed so intimidating at first (even after she'd won against them). They weren't like coworkers at all; they were like a family to her, a weird family, maybe. Sydney always had his cool, was ambitious to one day defeat May, yet respectful in his own strange way. He seemed to want to travel, not possessing the same homely and traditional spirit of a Hoenn native, but his attachment to the Evergrande League and Hoenn itself was too strong. Phoebe was a calm soul despite her specialty being Ghost-type Pokemon, and one of the sweetest people May had ever met. Her grandmother, as it turns out, was the old woman atop Mt. Pyre. She seemed to pity May in a similar way that that elderly woman did, despite her never having opening up to the elite trainer about anything. Glacia was less affectionate, at least on the surface, but admitted often to admiring May's fiery spirit. She'd also get antsy in waiting for battles, so sometimes Sidney and her would face off in their free time, Dark against Ice. Drake, in his gruff exterior, was able to convey some sense of genuine care to May, and he spent a lot of time with her Salamence. Sometimes he would ask about 'that boy', too, how he was doing. May would have to tell him, "I don't know, I haven't spoken to him."

"I'm going to miss them, though," May responded, finally. Suddenly, she found she wished she hadn't decided on the break. Her hand drifted away from the glass and onto the counter, one finger tapping against the granite top. She wore the same old, worn gloves from four years ago, along with most of her old outfit.

"You're not disappearing, May," Wallace retorted, taking another sip of the wine. "You're just staying at the Frontier for a bit!" He chuckled, and May felt like a little kid.

"I guess, on my off-days, yeah, I could visit," she thought aloud.

"There you go," he chimed. "Those guys get lonely. I'm sure you're aware of that."

There it was, the pang of… what? Anguish, probably. May knew they were lonely, because they were always complaining about Steven. They wanted to see Steven again, check in on how he was doing. Even if he hadn't had a four-year-long Championship like she did.

The room suddenly felt very quiet to May, which was weird, because she remembered the radio being on. This happened a lot, when her thoughts would close in on her, memories of that time whirling about, and the girl had to sit there and deal with them until someone or something was able to snap her out of it. Her hands sat in her lap now, clenched together, her blue gaze hazy and looking far out into Sootopolis.

Wallace frowned. "In any case, the Battle Frontier will be an exciting ordeal. I'm not at all into that competitive battling, but if that's what sails your ship, May, go for it." He hopped out of his seat and started to put away the wine. May, drawn from her trance, got to her feet as the man continued. "It'll be good for the League, to show union between us and the Frontier and all that new-era battling."

 _He's right,_ thought May. The Battle Frontier had sprung up right around the time she'd moved to Hoenn, creating problems with the League as it was seen as a sort of spin-off. Only it was "better"; it had conditions, customized environments, an island dedicated purely to battling rather than an entire region a trainer would have to traverse to collect badges and then fight a super-powerful League. It was more accessible. Pokemon's power could be scaled up or down in the arena with modern technology. You didn't even _need_ Pokemon either – you could rent them. It was the perfect alternative for the traditional Pokemon League challenge, and had much more attention with the trainer crowd now.

It was for that reason that May was even able to get a break; there were less trainers challenging the League, now. And more than any of the Four, she was hungry for a good battle. As much as the League would've hated her to say it, she was drawn to the Frontier in the same way everyone else was. Her father had given her a ticket not long after she had become champion; all it took was one trip there to sow the seeds of excitement in the feisty trainer's heart.

May started to collect the few belongings she'd brought, clipping the same-old yellow pouch around her waist. Wallace made some comment about her fashion sense, chortling. The girl gritted her teeth, arguing that he still wore the same cloak, too. In passing, May wondered if the third member of their little trio was still wearing the same getup, too. The two parted ways.

The Champion was glad to be rid of the beautiful, cerulean and pearl-white landscape of Sootopolis as Salamence rounded the crest of one of the volcanic city's walls. Her eyelids fluttered shut as her thoughts drifted back to that first meeting she'd had with Wallace, a few days after she had become Champion:

 _"So, I take it you found out?"_

 _The trainer forced a smile as the waitress came by, jotting down both of their orders. She was ravenous after all the traveling, and hadn't had time to eat the night before. It was already past noon. Wallace ordered his "usual", as well as a cocktail of some sort. May's lips twitched into an awkward frown._

 _"Would you like one, May?"_

 _"I-I'm eighteen…"_

 _"So that's a no?"_

 _The Champion excused the waitress and let out a long sigh._

 _Wallace sat back in his seat. The chairs were silver, wire, and complemented the white patio the two were seated on that looked out across Sootopolis, but May found they were uncomfortable on the back, especially after a day riding atop her Salamence. "I was going to tell you, you know. Just once you came to visit. I wasn't sure how you'd react."_

 _May's eyes clouded as they met his, but she was forced to look away after a few seconds; his expression was genuinely one of pity, glowing with concern, his lips curved into a sad smile. "What do you mean by that?"_

 _He sighed through his nostrils. "Well, I know you two… Well, you admired him, and I figured you'd be sad or upset or something to see him leave without a trace."_

It wasn't without a trace, _May thought, reminded of the Beldum sitting in her bag. "He's not obligated to stay here, especially after I literally kicked him out of the League…"_

 _"Yes, but it would've been nice if he'd stayed behind to help you get used to the job, at least," Wallace responded a little too quickly, a slight edge in his tone. "I mean, gee, May. You don't have the same professional background as him. He knew that. Not to mention everything that happened, with…"_

 _The waitress came back with their drinks, and Wallace had the sense to close his mouth until she'd retreated back to the kitchens again._

 _"…_ That _whole battle. I mean, it wasn't that long ago. He could've stuck around to help clean up." The Gym Leader took a sip of his drink, then held it out to May. "You sure you don't want any?"_

 _She waved it away with a groan. "…I think it's good that he's getting away from it all. He is the heir to Devon after all." Frustrated with the feelings welling up in her chest, the Champion shook her head and grabbed the glass of vegetable juice from the table, the ice jingling, condensation cooling her sweating palms. "I just don't know why this is such a big deal. You really wanted to have a long conversation about Steven…?"_

 _Wallace's turquoise eyes flashed as he took another sip of his bright-blue drink. "You're the one who came here, May. Looking just as distraught as you look now."_

 _She huffed and bit on the rim of her glass as she took another gulp. There was a long pause, and sweat began building up on her skin, tanned just slightly after being outdoors throughout the long summer. "I… I just don't know why he didn't tell me anything. I mean, a letter…?" Her feet shifted beneath the glass table, and an ugly feeling settled in her stomach. "Was he that mad?"_

 _The waitress came out with the food, and her thin eyebrows raised as she placed it before the two, probably at the sudden, tense atmosphere. "Thank you, Amelie," Wallace said, waving her away. "That'll be all, for today."_

 _She bowed and headed indoors._

 _May took a hesitant forkful of noodles, not used to using the utensil with the meal, but Wallace had insisted they go to his favorite foreign restaurant, bragging about how they made the most delightful western meals. In the end, the girl couldn't read the menu choices and had gone with simple Mauville ramen._

 _"I don't know much about his decision," Wallace murmured, "besides guesses, but I know for sure he wasn't angry with you at all, May."_

 _Doubt rose immediately to her tongue but she held back, relishing in the relief Wallace's matter-of-fact tone gave her._ Why, then…?

 _He moved to his food, releasing his gaze of scrutiny from May. The two trainers ate, and the subject changed, mostly to League business but also easier subjects like contests and Pokemon and League gossip. When at last, they were finished, and Wallace had paid, the sore topic returned once more._

 _"May," he asked, gently, and the girl was only half-listening, watching the city streets far below. "What exactly do you think of Steven, anyway?"_

 _Uneasiness hit her like a jolt of lightning, preventing her from shifting out of her position with one arm on the table, cheek resting in a palm, and she thought that perhaps it was better most of her hair and bangs were covering her face from Wallace because she certainly felt it heat up._ Why? This reaction? What _do_ I think of him? _"Um, he's… He's wise, a powerful trainer, and he's very knowledgeable, and…" she took a long sigh for the second time that day, finally able to turn and face the Gym Leader sitting across from her, placing both her forearms against the glass tabletop. The Gym Leader found her expression to be not unlike that of an angered Skitty. "And… I don't think Hoenn would be here without his help."_

 _Wallace stirred his meal, a soup of some kind, for a bit, humming. "Hmm – he did help you quite a bit during your journey, didn't he?"_

 _He was watching her carefully, as if waiting for a reply. "Yes," May replied, defensively. "I don't really know why he did, but... I mean, thinking back, most of the time we only met by chance, but still…" She groaned. "I'm sorry, Wallace, I don't see why this is important."_

 _"Well, you didn't exactly answer my first question," he chimed, taking a sip of the soup and raising his eyebrows._

 _"Your… first question?"_

 _"I meant what your view of him is. In relation to you," he said. After another spoonful he set the utensil back down, and May held her own forkful of noodles in midair, dripping, at what he was implying. "What kind of relationship_ do _you have with him? I know it must seem redundant with what the media has been talking to you about, but, boy, after thinking about it I'm curious. I want to hear it from you, May. Steven's a long time friend of mine, but he'd never speak about something like this for the life of him."_

Something like this? _May forced the bite of noodles into her mouth just to not look too ridiculous, sitting there gawking at his words. "W-what kind of… relationship…?" she mumbled in-between chews. Suddenly she was very hungry. What_ was _that, anyway?_ We weren't really friends, were we? Acquainted, maybe. We met a few times. He gave me a lot of gifts, helped me out. But not enough for me to consider him a mentor figure. And despite his status as Champion at the time, he'd treated me too much like his equal. Our relationship wasn't really… ordinary. We'd fought gangs together and dealt with a near-apocalypse. Someone who had your back through the very worst of things, gave you gifts completely unprecedentedly, someone who seemed interested in you and your potential even when you were a rookie trainer, who treated you with respect despite obvious faults and mistakes, someone who was a renowned trainer and of a higher class, who probably knew countless other people yet had left a single, private letter specifically for you at his private cottage, gifted you his favorite Pokemon, something that couldn't be found in Hoenn at all-

 _"May?"_

 _Her head snapped up. The ramen was in a big spiral, after she'd been unconsciously stirring it. "What?"_

 _"Spacing out?" His head was tilted just slightly, lips parted in a knowing smile._

 _"No, I just…" She pulled her fork from the ramen and jabbed it into some egg. "I don't really know how to answer that. I haven't known him long enough."_

 _He leaned one elbow on the table and picked up his cocktail again. "You need to know more about him to make a decision? Because I can tell you all you need to know."_

 _The girl furrowed her brow, heat rising to her cheeks again. "T-that's not it."_ I already know enough about Steven. At least, I think I do. I just… _"I just… I'd need to spend more time with him, if I wanted to answer that…" The frustration, hot and scratchy, returned and she rose from her seat at once. "And that's not going to happen, since he's gone. Honestly, I don't even know why I came here…" Upset, she started for the edge of the balcony, pulling out Salamence's Pokeball._

 _"May?" Wallace called, punctuated by a brief chuckle. "I'm sorry, perhaps I pushed it too much. But you have my number if you ever need someone to talk to. You'll find I'm quite the good therapist, I'm sure, and despite how much I gossip I'll be sure to keep my lips sealed when it comes to sensitive subjects."_

Ugh… This is absurd, _thought the Champion, jumping from the balcony onto her Salamence's back, wincing at the hard landing. "Thanks for lunch, Wallace. I'll keep in touch."_

It was obvious Wallace missed him too.

May wanted to be angry. She'd been angry at some point, but first she'd been sad. Then she became infuriated with herself. Then she was confused as to why she had so many different feelings on the subject, in the first place. Unable to answer those questions, she'd directed her negativity at Steven for leaving behind the Four and Wallace and his father and, if it mattered, herself. Then everything had eroded away into bitterness, and it was like that for a while, but slowly, May was able to get past that. Now, it seemed there was only uncertainty and a wisp of sorrow left.

Like she had a million times before, May pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the present.

* * *

The television was one of the newest models, 48-inch, offering a crystal-clear picture of the battlefield being displayed. Stadium-style seating rose up on all four sides of the building, dropping into a round arena with the design of a Pokeball printed onto the ground. One half was dark red, the other a pale blue; bright white lights shone both down from above and up from the space around the floor, providing a clear picture of the battlefield itself. The camera shifted every few seconds, between four different angles; a bird's eye view, a camera rotating the floor from the air, one slightly closer to detail the action, and one attached to the edge of the Pokeball-battlefield itself that could focus in on the trainers and Pokemon. The crowd was in an uproar as the announcer shouted with exuberance.

 _"And now, we welcome the challenger, over on the blue side! This is her first battle in the Frontier, but she's far from inexperienced! Let's give a warm welcome to the Hoenn League Champion, May!"_

The crowd's roar became deafening even on the speakers, making it clear that the audience must've consisted largely of Hoenn natives. An elevator rose into place on the back of the blue half of the arena, and standing in the center, though she was just a tiny speck from this angle, was the challenger mentioned. The view switched to get in a close-up. The Hoenn Champion was a young woman with springy brown hair and an athletic build, and though to anyone who didn't know her face, they might mistake her for an average trainer, she was anything but that. Her lips were curled just slightly into a smile as glittering blue eyes scanned the crowd around her, and the cheers escalated even further. One of her hands slipped into the yellow pouch at her waist and reappeared clutching a Pokeball.

Sitting just a few feet from the TV on a small leather couch, in the darkness of his rented villa, was the former Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone, leaning forwards with his elbows resting on his knees. He couldn't keep the grin from his face at the scene unfolding on the television. The announcer struggled to speak over the crowd, even with the abundance of high-tech speakers spread across the brand new Battle Frontier stadiums. May rolled her shoulders, seemingly unaware of the noise, all her attention now poured into the battle.

Steven let out an exasperated sigh, which relinquished into laughter. _After all this time, she's still the same, isn't she?_

Far above, a Frontier Card appeared on the monitors surrounding the stadium – not unlike a Trainer Card but designed for the Frontier instead, it showed the trainer's progress and records, as well as their name, hometown, and background. May's photo sat to the left of the information, red bandanna tied around springy hair, one of her hands held up in a V-sign.

Eventually, the announcer's voice was able to break through the noise. " _This will be a three-on-three battle! Trainers, release your Pokemon!"_

The red-side trainer was the first to make his move, releasing a Manectric. The Pokemon roared, and as it did so sparks went jumping down its pelt.

 _An Electric-type… How will she counter this? Aggron seems like the most practical choice… but there's also that Salamence. Or, will she be stubborn and wipe the field with Blaziken?_ Steven was completely enthralled, his foot tapping against the floor. _Or will she use a new Pokemon? There's no telling if she's completely redone her team since our battle so long ago… but I get the feeling she hasn't. She's not that type of trainer._

The crowd at last quieted in anticipation. Then the Champion swung her arm and released the device in her palm; in a flash of light it exploded before her, revealing…

" _My, my! What's this?"_

The camera closed in on a Pokemon all too familiar to the ex-Champion – Metagross. _Metagross?_ The hesitation in the audience lasted only a moment before their cheers returned. The camera shifted to the red-side trainer for just a moment, his jaw having dropped. It was as if he'd studied relentlessly for an exam, only to be given a question he could never had seen coming miles away.

The quadrupedal Pokemon slammed onto the floor and adjusted it limbs before focusing a killer glare over at Manectric. Its metal body shone brightly under the stadium lights drilling down from above.

 _"Well, this certainly is a surprise, folks! A Metagross! For those of you who are avid fans of our Champion here in Hoenn and have been following her since her victory in the Pokemon League, we haven't heard of a Pokemon such as this being in her party at all!"_

The battle waged on, but blew by at such a speed that Steven had a hard time catching up, as experienced as he was. Metagross took down Manectric in one blow with a deadly Earthquake, and moved on to weaken the trainer's next Pokemon, Swalot, gravely with a Psychic. The announcers chattered back and forth as to the origins of this Metagross; that perhaps it was traded to her for the Frontier challenge. But the way she fought with it was clear evidence that the two had been training together for far longer than that.

As the announcer and the two expert consultants continued their banter, Metagross finished off Swalot and knocked out the following Absol with a Meteor Mash and a Hyper Beam – it was nimble enough to dodge the Dark-type attacks sent after it, as well. And as quick as it started the battle was over, with both trainers disappearing back down their respective elevators.

The voices of the analysts became background noise as Steven sat back on the couch, the leather cool against his back. He stared at the ceiling for a while, fidgeting with the rings on his fingers, an unfamiliar feeling settling in his chest. "So," said the trainer with a scoff, "she's using that Beldum after all." A smile settled onto his face.

Steven's thoughts were eventually interrupted by May's voice coming from the television, and his attention snapped back to the device. They were doing a post-battle interview, it seemed, back in the lobby of the monster of a skyscraper that was the Battle Tower. May stood beside an excited reporter, her cheeks glinting with sweat but otherwise looking calm and collected.

 _"Now, we have to ask, May… About that Metagross! It seems your team has a new addition!"_ barked the reporter with a wide, hungry grin.

The Champion smiled. _"You bet. I think they've already released the statistics for that, right? So I shouldn't go into that..."_

Apparently, the Frontier officials would scan each of your Pokemon before starting a challenge so as to display its stats on the large screens and make the information available on electronics. Truly, it was much more high tech than the League, and Steven was impressed, to say the least. He reminded himself to look up the file for May's Metagross the next time he could.

 _"Stats are stats. What we want to know is where you picked it up! Goodness, it appears well trained, Champion May! Metagross aren't easy to come by, you know."_

She shifted her shoulders, glanced around the room a bit. "They aren't, are they? But this one was trained by me, ever since I got it as a Beldum. I think we get along pretty well! Ah, but it's not used to being in the spotlight, so it may be a little shy…"

The reporter pressed on, holding the mic closer. _"But where did you come across a Beldum? How come it hasn't been used in past battles?"_

The Champion's eyes flashed and she moved to adjust her bandanna. It seemed more like a nervous tic to Steven by now than anything else. _"Well, I've been busy training it on my own…"_ The reporter didn't move his arm, keeping the large microphone just below May's chin, awaiting more of a response. Perhaps it was the high-definition display of the television that let Steven pick up on the slight rosiness of her face. _"Where I came across a Beldum? Well, hmm…"_ She folded her arms. _"It was a gift."_

 _"Well, a gift well given! You and your Metagross are amazingly strong! I wish you luck in the rest of your challenge, Champion May!"_

 _"Thank you,"_ she replied, nodding, and the reporter headed off, dragging the cameraman along with him.

Steven sighed and picked up his Poketch, lying on the small oak coffee table that sat between him and the television. He technically wasn't supposed to own one, since the Poketch Company was in a way a competitor to Devon Corporation, but Steven wasn't exactly a Devon Employee, just part of the family, and different regions called for different technologies since most of the Pokenav's apps were useless in Sinnoh. He scanned over to the Calendar page, noting the date. September 1st. The cold weather – colder, that is – would be arriving in Sinnoh. It would only make sense that he headed home soon. There were just a few more things to check in on.

But now, with the image of May and that Metagross fresh in his mind, it felt like there was more of a rush to get back. He'd traveled quite a bit the past four years, learned a refreshing amount of information about other regions, and had been able to escape the stresses of Devon, as well. Steven had almost returned after meeting that girl in Kanto with a remarkably similar look to May, but in the end had stopped himself from even trying to call home. Now, the return felt almost overdue; after the Frontier show the ex-Champion almost felt anxious to return and reunite with the others.

But as he thought about what he had left to accomplish before leaving Sinnoh, it felt like a dauntingly long list, so Steven put it to the back of his mind and slumped over on the couch, picking up a pen and something to write on. Lazily, he scribbled down an attempt at a letter to write to his friends at the League; it slowly turned into a letter for May, saying something about him coming back soon, but Steven couldn't find the right words and soon dozed off, the battle replaying over and over in his head.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey, everyone. I've been planning to write this for a while, and I think it's finally at the place where I can start posting. I originally wanted to write something related to the Regi trio, and also what a postgame thing would be like with May and Steven and that whole letter business, but the way it is I don't know if they'll actually be interacting directly with each other a whooole lot for a little while lol

It's also sort of a sequel to that other long ass Hoenn fic I've been doing, but it's not really necessary that you go through that whole thing just to read this. The important thing to know is that the events of RSE are a bit mixed up - in this, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza were all summoned like in Emerald, but Aqua was the main aggressor and Steven stayed Champion.

I'm not sure about how many chapters this'll be and don't really have an update schedule, so bear with me on that.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** It's worth mentioning that this fic will be very flashback-driven, but I'll try and make it clear when that is happening, lol

* * *

2.

 **Two months later – Present time**

* * *

May shuts the door behind her as she enters her hotel room, collapsing immediately on the bed and curling into its plushy comforter. _At last_ , thinks the Champion as her tense muscles are able to relax, and she lets out a sigh as the quiet of the room sinks in. Ever since she had arrived at the Frontier her heart had felt lighter; she was truly excited about something again, and had something to look forwards to and pour her effort into. It hadn't been like this since her Pokemon journey. She rolls onto her back, legs shifting to kick off her yellow running shoes. Outside, the day is melting away and long, reaching shadows are stretching out towards the east. _Day one, complete,_ she thinks with a smile.

She lays like this for a while, and the sun dips into Hoenn's glittering sea once again. The Frontier, operating twenty-four hours a day, lights up, one building after the other, a wonderful assortment of twinkling colors that would make one forget they were on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. The building she is in has some forty floors, but it's nothing compared to the Battle Tower which spikes up into the clouds, reflecting the rest of the Frontier off of its glass walls. _I'm almost to the top,_ thinks May as she traces its distant outline with her eyes. _Then I can fight the Frontier Brain…!_

The dinner hour comes and goes and trainers excitedly make their way back out to the battle facilities. May observes this, half-hanging off of her bed. The thirteenth floor offered a view she never would've got from an ordinary Pokemon Center. Sighing, she pushes away those thoughts. The competition between the League and the Frontier was serious, and as Champion, her stance had to be one-sided.

A growl broke the serene silence of the small hotel double, and May starts, sitting up. _Food… This place must have room service, right?_ She wanders over to the nightstand, picking up a sleek pamphlet with information on the hotel and flicking through the pages. Mightyena stirs from its place at the foot of the bed, giving its fur a few licks.

After a minute or so, the trainer locates the number for the restaurant and pads across the room to her bag. _Pokenav, Pokenav… Where did I put it… Gah, no luck. I'll just use the ground line, I guess…_

Just as she heads back over to the nightstand, a familiar ring cut through the air, and May swerves on her heel to her bag again, dropping to her knees. Mightyena sniffs at the noise, turning its head as well, tail twitching. Devon still hadn't released any new ringtones besides the default one, which was obnoxious, to say the very least. In the silence of the room, it felt as loud as a fire alarm.

May reaches into the outside pocket she'd neglected to search at first, frowning at the device. Whoever it was, she silently hopes they wouldn't take long – her stomach was growling once more in neediness. The trainer plops back down beside Mightyena, her free hand running along the Pokemon's black coat, earning a soft grumble. With the other, she slides open the Pokenav, blue eyes curiously scanning the electronic screen for the caller ID.

 _"CALL FROM: STEVEN STONE"_

The ringer sounds off a third time, seeming even louder in the silence. Mightyena sits up, tilting its head at its trainer which had suddenly stopped petting. Her hand goes limp along its back; the Pokemon tries nudging the trainer with its snout, but even that accomplishes nothing. May's eyes are glued to the screen, her expression a whirlpool of a million different emotions.

 _Steven…?_ She shakes her head once, then twice, strands of brown hair falling into her face. _Steven…? Why is he…_ The ringer sounds a fourth time, and May's hand tightens around the orange device. It would ring eight times before going to voicemail. She had to make a decision, already, to click the send button and answer or let it ring, and for some reason she can't quite understand, she desperately wants to do the latter. She scans across the unfamiliar letters again. Steven. Steven Stone. Clashing thoughts and memories hit her head at once, and she's sure she had no idea what would happen or what she might say if she took the call.

On the seventh ring, impulsively, the trainer moves her thumb and clicks the receive button, then numbly brings the object to her ear. "Hello…?" Her other hand moves to her chest, clenched and hovering over her heart which was beating wildly in anticipation. Her legs wobble, and she finds that the hotel room no longer feels as comfortable as it just had. Biting her lip, the Champion awaits a response.

" _Hello_?" The voice isn't Steven's, despite the horrible reception. " _Is this… May?"_

It's a feminine voice, quiet, and definitely not a Hoenn native – she'd lived in the region long enough to tell. Robotically, she responds: "Yes, this is May, the current Hoenn League Champion." She cringes at how unlike her she sounds. "C-can I help you?" She stumbles over her words in her confusion. "May I ask who this is?"

"Right, ah… My name is Dawn…" May's hand has moved to the bed now, fingers drumming on the comforter, earning a curious gaze from Mightyena. The accent… she just can't pinpoint its origin. "I'm also the current Sinnoh League Champion, though… That doesn't really concern… why I'm calling…"

 _Oh, that answers that,_ she thinks, slumping over a little, resting an elbow on her knee. Her brown eyebrows scrunch together. _B-but… Sinnoh League Champion-? Wait…_ "Oh, I- is this about… The Frontier challenge? My absence from the League?"

" _No. I'm calling about this 'Steven Stone'…"_ The name snaps May back to reality, back to the caller ID that didn't match up with this voice. Steven. Dawn. Sinnoh. The three names float around in her mind and she struggles to piece them together.

"What's going on?" she says, abruptly. In her mind she tries to connect the dots. Steven was a reserved person, and she doubted he'd ever lend someone his Pokenav… unless… Her eyebrows twitch. What was the relationship this girl had with him? If she was using his Pokenav… May looks over the fact that in order to use a Pokenav long-distance – for example, from Sinnoh to Hoenn – one had to be connected to a phone receiver in a Pokemon Center. Her mind wanders further as the trainer on the other end of the line collects her own thoughts, and her hand moves from drumming against the bed to squeezing shut and opening again, her palms beginning to sweat. Champion of Sinnoh… It wouldn't be that weird, for an ex-champion and the champion of another region to hook up, would it…? But the thought rubs May the wrong way.

" _Something's happened to him…_ " The careful reply comes after what seemed to May like an eternity, and she freezes.

"What…?" Suddenly her thoughts become rational again, jumping to the only other reason she would have his Pokenav… "Is he okay?"

A sigh, faint, but audible, comes from the speaker, but for once May is patient. _"I'm not sure. Something strange has happened to him. I think you should see for yourself. Come to Snowpoint City, in Sinnoh…"_

Her thoughts begin to swirl again, and May suddenly begins to pace through the room, agitating the sleepy Mightyena once more. "S…Sinnoh? Wait, what? What's wrong with him…? Is that where he is?"

 _"Like I said, I'm not sure, but… I think it would be best if you came… I've already contacted someone else who I think can help, but… given your background I think it would be best if you got here as soon as possible, too…"_ The girl has a strange way of speaking, but May doesn't get any bad vibes from her.

The girl shakes her head again and huffs. "What is it, though? Is he sick, or something…? I'm sure if you called President Stone – err, that's… his father – I'm sure he could get him an airlift if it's… serious…"

" _That's not an option, I'm afraid…"_ mutters the so-called Sinnoh Champion. " _And although he's his dad, I'm not sure he would be as reliable as you… Not that I know you, but you're the Champion and apparently have a history with Steven, so…"_

May pauses in her pacing, making a face as her stomach twists, shifting the Pokenav to another hand. Just minutes ago, everything had seemed so slow and serene, like there was no rush for once in her life, and now suddenly with this one conversation everything seemed to be moving at mach speed. "S-Sinnoh… _Arceus_ , I… I can't just run over there… I'm in the middle of challenging the Frontier-… I'm the Champion, the League would be pissed…"

For the first time, the girl's voice seems to have a tinge of emotion in it – disappointment. " _I called you because I thought you could help your friend."_

Steven. This wasn't about Dawn or Sinnoh, May has to remind herself - something had happened to Steven, according to her, something his father himself couldn't be let in on for whatever reason… It was a reason, too, simply to seek him out without feeling ridiculous. May moves to the window, staring out over the glittering landscape of the Frontier. In the darkness of the room, the colors seep through the glass and cast different neon hues across her pale face as her expression shifts.

So many words had been left unsaid. Obviously, the current Sinnoh League Champion must know what the Hoenn Champion is up to, especially something as big as taking a leave of absence. This is exactly what Dawn happened to be thinking – that this girl was already on vacation, in somewhere as trivial as the Battle Frontier, and had to even consider leaving to help a friend in need – perhaps, the Sinnoh trainer thought, she had misinterpreted the relationship the two had. After all, they hadn't shown up together much in the media recently.

Back in the hotel room, May forces herself to come to a decision. She glances over at Mightyena as if seeking approval from her Pokemon, but the beast only offers her a curious tilt of his fluffy head. "I… I'll find a way over there, then."

" _As soon as possible, please,"_ is Dawn's reply, once again stoic and unreadable.

"Yes," responded May, resuming her pacing across the floor. "Where, in Sinnoh? Am I meeting you?" _I don't even know how to get to Sinnoh,_ she mourns, though neglects to mention this, not wanting to reveal just how naïve she was to an opposing Champion. "And how long do you think this might take…?"

 _"…Snowpoint City, in northern Sinnoh… It's a port city, so you should probably be able to find a ship here, since I hear Hoenn has a lot of sea travel… I'll be staying at the Pokemon Center there…"_ She pauses, collecting herself – the Hoenn Champion has certainly given her an onslaught of questions, but given the vagueness of the situation, it's understandable. " _I don't know how long it could take."_

May furrows her brow once more and sighs deeply. She glances around her hotel room, empty save for Mightyena. Her thoughts move briefly to Brendan, also at the Frontier, and Wallace filling in for her at the League, of her family cheering her on in her challenge, and all the Gym Leaders, of Wally… How would they take this, should she even tell them…? What would the League think when they found out? The trainer shakes her head, urging herself to take it one step at a time, reminding herself of what may be at stake. _Regardless,_ she thinks, _I gotta find out what happened to Steven. No matter what happens._ "I'll try to be there as soon as possible, Dawn."

" _Good… I don't think these Pokenavs can call long distance without being at a Pokemon Center, so maybe… Just call before you leave, or once you get here."_ There's a rumbling in the background, followed by a strange noise that made May think briefly of the screech of a Golbat. " _…I gotta go. I'll see you here, Champion May."_

Just as abruptly and sudden as the call had begun, it ends, and May slides her Pokenav shut, feeling numb. She stands in place for a while until Mightyena, worried for its trainer, hops off of the bed and nudges her side. Humming, she bends down to pat the Pokemon's head once again, the soft fur giving her a brief comfort. She doesn't realize it, but her knees are shaking. Most of what May is conscious of is the unsettling memories that have suddenly resurfaced in her mind, of a time not so long ago when there were scary, vague, unsafe things happening like what Dawn had implied. Kyogre and Groudon…

Nausea settles in May's stomach and she forgets about her dinner, instead settling back into the bed, Mightyena curling up at the foot once again. She brings her knees to her chest, hugging her legs, appearing very small in the queen-size mattress. All thoughts of the Frontier, and the previous 12 hours, all the warmth and comfort and confidence of them suddenly disappear, replaced only with the looming fear of what had happened to Steven, mingled with the haunting memories from that battle. May sighs, focusing her thoughts instead on Sinnoh. How she might get there, how she might excuse herself from her Frontier challenge and from her position as Champion, and do this without giving away the reason for her sudden northern vacation. On and on she works out the details, until she drifts off into an unsteady slumber.

* * *

May sleeps restlessly, tossing and turning, disturbing poor Mightyena until he gives up and moves to the floor. Morning came perhaps too quickly, the sun bursting brilliantly from the ocean and replenishing the sky of its color. The light, shining through the room's wide windows, causes May to stir from her sleep and groan. "Morning… already… Mmf…"

She momentarily forgets about the previous night's events, opting to sleep in an extra hour since it was technically the weekend, and her next battle in the Tower wasn't until Monday. However, after five or so minutes of dozing as the sky continues to shift through a spectrum of pastels, she remembers the conversation and sits up.

Her hands pat around on the bed frantically until she finds her Pokenav, hidden beneath the folds of the comforter. Anxious, she searches the "recent calls page", and inhales sharply when she sees Steven's name at the top of it. _So it was… true…_

She takes a shaky sigh, sitting back against the mahogany headboard and staring at the ceiling that's a shade of blue that seems to want to mimic the color of the sky. Her voice is hardly above a whisper, but clear in the room's silence – "What should I do…"

The answer was obvious, and it comes to May in the form of Dawn's voice, crackly and difficult to decipher in the Pokenav's reception, even in her own mind: " _As soon as possible._ " She sighs.

Outside, a familiar sockhead is clambering down the hall. He stops at a door, not bothering to double check the number, and knocks a little too vigorously for 8AM.

"May!" His voice is deep, but his tone is still casual and not the least bit professional. "You up yet?"

May huffs in response to the outburst and hops out of bed, nudging Mightyena with her foot. "Just a minute, Brendan-" she pauses, yawning. "Geez, I thought it was the weekend…"

The reply had been quiet, but Brendan's ears, perhaps fine-tuned from the field research he'd been doing, picks it up. "C'mon, you're the one who wanted to train this weekend. If you wanna cancel, you coulda at least picked up the phone earlier and told me before I came all the way up here…"

May frowns as she pulls on her signature shirt. _Right, I guess there were a few missed calls from him…._

"Anyway, I'll be waiting on the ground floor, now that you're up," he calls again, sounding a little less irritated. "Geez… hard to believe you're Norman's kid, sometimes."

May rolls her eyes at this. _Everyone expects me to be his carbon copy, huh…?_ The thought of her father reminds her, however, of her impending trip – and how she will manage to tell her family of her sudden change in plans. She pauses while buckling her yellow bag around her waist, lips twitching into a frown. _I'll figure something out._

Fifteen minutes is how long it takes for May to prepare herself, and downstairs Brendan is groaning in impatience. She clicks the elevator button and watches the screen at the top of the doorway number up and up, absently.

 _As soon as possible._

May bites her lip and her gaze moves to the floor. Her projected progress in the Battle Tower essentially had her fighting the Frontier Brain by the end of the week. But given Dawn's cryptic words and her own vow to get moving as soon as possible, a week almost seems like too long. She steps into the elevator as it opens and clicks the button for the first floor with one gloved hand, her stomach lurching. Suddenly, even the short time she spent preparing herself for the day seems like too much of a waste. Steven – something had happened to Steven… _I should be on the boat, by now…_

Before her anxieties can progress further, the door opens and Brendan, across the lobby, stands up from his seat on the couch, Pokeballs in hand. "C'mon!" He calls, running for the sliding glass doors that lead outside into Hoenn's beating hot sunlight. May follows, her footsteps uneven, uncertain.

In one of the dozens of the Frontier's extra battlefields, the two rivals duke it out in a familiar and almost nostalgic battle that ends with Blazekin KO'ing Swampert with a searing-hot Overheat. Losing to the Champion isn't exactly a new experience for Brendan Birch, but this battle was close, too close, even, and for once his ego is able to step to the side, enough that he notices something different in his friend's behavior.

As the two recall their Pokemon, Brendan mutters a word of thanks to the ball, noticing May does not do the same, simply tucking the object away and gazing absently at the ground. _Very_ unlike the usually energetic girl. He jogs across the battlefield. "May! Hell-o! Anyone in there?" She glances up, and Brendan nudges her shoulder. "Spacing out? Not like you."

She blinks. "Oh, er… Sorry."

Now it was obvious to Brendan that something was on her mind. Usually his teasing was met with a huff, at the very least. Raising an eyebrow, he gestures towards the food plaza in the center of the Frontier. "How bout we grab some food while our Pokemon heal?"

May takes a breath, realizing with shock that she hadn't eaten dinner last night. "Definitely," she replies.

Brendan gives a thumbs up and runs on ahead. "Alrighty." _Geez, if a Pokemon battle can't bring her back into reality, maybe food will._

* * *

"May."

 _What will I tell them…? I can't even explain it truthfully, since I don't know the details…_

"Maaaaaaaay."

 _But there's no way I can get away without telling them… Uhg…_

"May!" Something hits the girl's face and she's snapped from her daze. She glances across the table, shaded by a large red and white umbrella, at Brendan. He's holding up his chopsticks in one hand, and his other is stretched out as if he'd just flicked something. She glances down to her plate, which has been empty for a few minutes. There's a chunk of meat dumpling on it.

"…Hey, what was that for?" She protests, resting her elbows on the table.

Brendan deadpans. "Spacing out, again."

"…Oh, sorry."

May catches the suspicious look that the boy casts her way at this, but isn't really sure how to confront it. Brendan is a bit of a wild card, and she'd been considering telling him, but…

"Well, at this rate, I think you definitely need a break," he says all of the sudden, sounding like he's reached some grand conclusion.

May looks up, blinking. A breeze blew across the courtyard they sat in, threatening to blow away the plastic utensils and napkins. The trainer reaches up to keep her hair out of her eyes. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

The trainer and professor in-training points towards the Champion with his chopsticks. "You, May. I dunno what's up, and I don't wanna pry, but whatever's on your mind, it's affecting your battling. Let's see… You're out of sync with your Pokemon. You're not focused."

There's a small burst of hostility in May's chest, partly because of his criticism and partly because it's right. "I don't remember asking you for your advice, Associate Professor."

He shrugs, smiling sardonically. "Well, I can get your dad over here to give his professional diagnosis, but I'm sure he'd say the same thing, Ms. Champion. Think about it – if you're not on game now and you lose, you're gonna blow the whole thing up, all the progress you made this whole time. But if you take a break until you're feeling better and are back on your game, then there's nothing lost, is there? It's not like you'd have to restart the challenge."

May's shoulders slumped over as she sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right."

"…That being said, are you gonna tell me what's going on, or what?" asked the boy, taking in another mouthful of food.

May tenses, her feet shifting beneath the table. "I… I, uh… I have to… This is gonna sound ridiculous, but I have to go all the way to Sinnoh for something." She laughs nervously, trying to diffuse the weight of the statement.

" _Shinnoh_?" Brendan objects through a mouthful of food. "Are you sherioush?!"

"Yeah…" May nervously brings a hand to her neck and grins. "I don't know how long it'll take."

He swallows his food, but still peers at May with suspicion. "You're just gonna ditch this whole Frontier thing? Isn't the League gonna be on your ass about this?"

May clenches her hands into fists beneath the table. "That's… what I'm feeling down about…" It wasn't entirely a lie. "I'm just angry that after all that planning, I gotta leave, you know? But…" Lying is difficult for May. She struggled with it during her journey through Hoenn, dealing with Team Aqua and keeping her involvement from her family. Lying about the ordeal with Groudon and Kyogre had been a bit easier, since it was so much more detached, completely unimaginable to her mother and father… but this was something she felt guilty about. "It's… The League's the reason I'm going over there. It's, err, Champion business."

 _Still… not entirely a lie…_ May thinks, giving another shaky chuckle.

Brendan only rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you, May, the League are a bunch of stuck up idiots. No offense to you and your dad. They're probably just doing this because they're mad you're spending so much time at the Frontier."

How the boy had changed, May thought, remembering a time when he'd been just as hungry for the title of Champion has she had been. It was better for them both, though, to diverge in interests, her getting involved with the League and he, studying Pokemon and taking interest in the Frontier. In a way, it had strengthened their friendship. The Champion sighs at the professor. "Either way, I have to go. But, that's the other thing. I…" She hesitates again, and thinks back to Dawn and Steven. "The League didn't want me to tell anyone about this trip, technically… so…"

Brendan had already dropped his chopsticks. He sticks out his arm, giving his friend a thumbs-up. "No problemo, May. If anyone asks me, you're off in hardcore training for the Frontier Brains."

A wave of comfort hits May at this and she slumps over onto the table a little more. "Thanks so much, Brendan. You don't know how much this means. But seriously, you can't tell anyone. Not even my parents. Which will be hard, since my dad is super suspicious about almost everything I do."

The boy shrugs. "Please, I can handle it. As a Professor in-training, it's my job to contain the world's darkest secrets, right?" May sits up at this, frowning in concern, and Brendan brushes it off quickly, shaking his hands. "Kidding, kidding. But it's no biggie… But, gee, this must be a pretty big deal if not even the Gym Leaders are in on it, huh?"

May nods. "Yeah, it's, um… between the Champions, or at least I think."

"Heh, I understand, Champion business only," Brendan chimes, his voice surprisingly lacking any bitterness towards the exclusivity of the subject. "Well, if business here is concluded, I'm gonna head over to the Battle Pike and take some notes."

May stands, picking up her tray and smiling. "Gee, you've really grown, Brendan."

Her rival follows suite, and they weave between the umbrella tables to the nearest trash can. "Yeah, well, you too, May. Later!"

* * *

May wastes no time in escaping the island atop Salamence, though it takes some effort to maneuver through the crowds of trainer or trainer-fanatics, find a remote spot, and fly off without causing a scene. Salamence is fast and as healthy as ever, though, gliding across the sea with grace. Behind the Pokemon, sea water sprays up in either direction, the size growing with each flap of its massive wings. May takes a deep breath of the salty air, sitting back on the Pokemon's back, which is equipped with a sturdy leather harness Drake had gifted to her not long ago.

 _As long as my Pokemon are with me, it'll be alright,_ she assures herself.

Salamence slows as they move along, rising higher into the sky, and soon the stark white ridges of Sootopolis appear on the horizon. May had debated not telling Wallace about her leave, due to the fact that Dawn had called her and not him, after all. But given the fact that he was Steven's closest friend, and that Wallace was already doing her the favor of filling in as Champion, she knew she had to tell him what had happened.

It's the late afternoon when the two land at the rim of Sootopolis, beside Wallace's mansion. May had called him ahead of time to say she was coming, but like the Sinnoh Champion, wanted to tell the man of the news in person.

It was particularly windy in Sootopolis that day, the breeze rustling the plains of grass that led down into the suburbs. May is grateful for the bandana she kept bound around her hair. Salamence moves to shield its trainer, but she merely chuckes. "I can handle some wind, big guy."

The front door squeaks, and Wallace emerges from his palace, holding his hat in place with a large hand, his white cloak billowing out behind him. As usual, he looks almost too extravagant. He and Steven always appeared to be almost too perfect on magazine covers or trainer guides, both giving off the image of royalty or nobility, of magnificence. May looks herself over, and feels her heart twist. Ordinary was the first word that comes to her mind.

"Boy, it's windy out today! I don't suppose this is the work of another Legendary Pokemon, huh?" Wallace hums as he approaches May on the pathway.

The younger trainer forces a smile at the comment, pretending it hadn't sent an tinge of fear down her spine.

He makes a face. "Sorry, bad taste, bad taste. Come on now, let's get lunch."

May had learned that Wallace, for all his grace, was stubborn and one of the Gym Leaders you just couldn't argue with on some things, so she follows him down into the bowels of the lively city as Salamence spreads its wings and takes to the skies again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Excuse any of the weird tense changes in this one. The whole time I was writing this over the course of a few months I couldn't for the life of me decide what tense and POV I wanted it in - I switched around from 1st/3rd and past/present and settled on what's here.

To clarify, the scenes taking place in the past will be in past tense, like the first chapter. The present storyline will be in present tense. It'll get clearer once things progress, promise ;)


	3. Chapter 3

3.

"…That's all I know. Until I meet her in person, I think."

May takes another small spoonful of frozen yogurt as she finishes her story. Her gaze moves to the shoreline, just past the wall surrounding the patio area the two trainers are seated at, where the gentlest waves are lapping at the rocks. The two trainers had gone all the way into town for food this time, to a sweets shoppe Wallace adored. She can't help but think back to the incident with Kyogre and Groudon again, how this serene stretch of aqua and pearl-white before her had been a warzone. The café itself had only recently reopened after being destroyed in the storm, along with a huge portion of the Sootopolis shoreline.

Wallace is sitting across from May, leaning back in his chair, an empty salad bowl and a huge sundae on the table before him. His expression has become rather intense, brow knitting together, unfitting in the otherwise pleasant setting. He strokes his chin with one hand. "I see… so he's gone and gotten himself into trouble without telling anyone, has he."

Salamence is gliding about in the distance, swooping up and down and brushing the lake's surface with its claws, watching the ripples extend further out.

"…Yes. The only problem is, I have no idea how to get there," responds May, clenching a fist. "Sinnoh is so far away. My friend, Brendan, said he would cover for me as best as he could at home, but I don't know what to do about the League."

The man leans forward, resting his elbows on the table as he finishes the rest of his ice cream and hums in delight. "Well, don't get worked up over that, May. I can take over on that front."

The trainer's head swings around, chestnut hair poofing out with the movement. "Are you sure…?! I feel bad for putting all of this on you. And besides, he's your friend, and you've known him longer than I have. You're probably more worried about him than I am…"

"He's my friend, but if you're willing to head on over there for his sake I'd be more than happy to take the easier job of sitting in the League and spreading a few lies," Wallace adds with an easy smirk. "It's Steven we're talking about, after all. Whatever trouble he's gotten himself into, I'm sure it'll be a difficult task to work through. But I have a feeling you'd be able to, May. You did stop the battle four years ago, after all."

Subdued, the trainer folds her hands in her lap and bites her lip. She ceases tapping her heel against the ground. "Right, then… I guess I should head over, as soon as possible. Maybe I can hitch a ride on a fishing boat, or something." Suddenly, May stands up, pulling a handful of change out of her pocket to pay for the meal before Wallace can jump on it. "I should hurry."

"Hmmf!" Wallace protests through a mouthful of ice cream, his eyes widening in surprise. "Wait a minute, now. You can't run off, yet. You're not nearly prepared enough."

May gives him a sideways glance. "What do you mean? I don't have time to waste, Wallace…"

"Do you intend on traveling to Sinnoh in _that?_ " Questions the man in such an offended tone that it throws May off. He walks up to her and flicks the collar of the shirt she's wearing – the standard, outdoors type of shirt she's always worn. "And with _those?_ " Continues Wallace, pointing to her legs, bare from the mid-thigh down. "No way. Sinnoh is a completely different climate, May. It's nearly winter, as well."

The shorter trainer frowned, crossing her arms. _I never thought of it that way… I just thought it'd be like Johto._ "…Well, I'm sure I have some warmer clothes packed away at my parent's house that I can bring, Wallace. There's no reason to make such a big deal…"

"Meeting the Champion of Sinnoh? While wearing ratty old clothes your parents bought you?" Wallace's expression sinks further into one of despair. "Please, May. I simply can't allow that. Follow me."

Before she can argue, feeling that of all things, clothes shopping was probably the most trivial thing she could do at a time like this, Wallace is dragging her off, back into Sootopolis, confidence in each stride.

* * *

In a city like Sootopolis, there was unfortunately only one shop that carried clothes suitable for the cold climate of Sinnoh; a high-end, foreign boutique known as _Baiser d'Hiver._ May nearly passes out when she first catches sight of a price tag, and begs Wallace to let her leave for the safety of her wallet, but the man insists, saying he was friends with one of the cashiers and could get a discount. Apparently this was where he had his contest clothes for cups held in Sinnoh tailored. May can only pray that she won't walk out of the streetside shop looking like a miniature version of the Sootopolitan.

After some time, the two separate; May is too concerned about prices to look any further, and retreats to the dressing room, while Wallace continues scouring the black and white shelves to find something that fits his, and, perhaps, May's interests.

The League Champion picks up a small knit hat off of the closest shelf and then asks to be shown to a dressing room. She collapses on the bench inside, her chest deflating as she sighs. _Is this really the best time for this…? The League isn't paying me for my vacation…_

May turns her gaze to the mirror attached to the wall across from where she sat, and her cheeks redden as soon as she does. She was always a bit wild-looking, she supposes, due in part to how she seemed to have inherited her father's intense demeanor. But in the boutique, _Arceus_! She might as well be a savage, she thinks, in her standard trainer outfit, with her grass-stained, mud-coated running shoes falling apart at the seams, wrinkled shirt, unruly hair, and the faint traces of muscles letting themselves be known on her arms and legs. It was the cost of saving the world and becoming Champion, the girl supposed. Among other things. _Champion…_ Her thoughts turned to Steven. _No, he definitely didn't look this bad. Maybe it really is just me. Oh, geez. I hope I don't reek, too._

Another long sigh escapes the trainer and she slumps over in her seat, pulling out her Pokenav. _Steven… will he be okay? Will I be able to help? Does he even want anyone's help…?_ Turning the device over in the palm of her hand, May bites her lip. _…That doesn't matter. I don't know what his reasons are for not contacting Wallace or I at all, but… if he's in trouble, I have to._

"May! I've got some lovely clothes here."

A deep voice booms from just outside May's door, and she leaps out of the bench, screeching. "Who-!?"

Suddenly something soft and heavy, not unlike a blanket, is tossed over the top of the doorway and falls over the Champion's head, followed by another item and then another. For a moment she's blinded, struggling in the small space to free herself of the fabric. Outside, Wallace speaks again: "I will be waiting at the entrance. That should a simply perfect look, I think."

Skeptically, May eyes the huge ball of clothes in her arms. It probably costs more than she has in her life savings, she thinks.

But as she zips up the jacket over everything else and takes another look into the mirror, May feels just slightly less absurd, and the redness on her cheeks fades. _I was expecting something wild, but…_ The Gym Leader had picked out black thermal leggings, a pleated white skirt that went from the waist to mid-thigh, a thick, black blouse to wear beneath a long, heavy, red track jacket with a remarkably similar design to her usual shirt, and cream-colored snow boots. Carefully, the trainer wrapped a long, blue-gray scarf with vertical white stripes around her neck, and at last, all that was left were the gloves; they feel heavy and cumbersome compared to her usual ones. The knit hat she had grabbed earlier, now sitting alone on the bench, catches the trainer's eye, and the thought occurs to her that it would be a nice – and warm – substitute for her usual bandanna. It was around the same color, with a white pom-pom on top. _…But, this is kind of nice._

Feeling a little more at ease, and a little less like this was a waste of time, May starts to unwrap the scarf – _Arceus,_ she thinks, _getting in and out of this daily would be such a pain, how did I do this all the time in Johto…? –_ and then realizes that Wallace told her he'd wanted a peek at the outfit, too. Puffing out her cheeks, the trainer steps out of the door and over into the lobby area where the Sootopolitan is waiting, arms crossed.

The tall man looks her over once, twice, three times, and then chortles. "My! Who's this woman?" He leans against the desk that sits between the two changing room hallways and nudges the employee who is standing there, also staring at May in surprise. The lady giggles along with Wallace, covering her mouth with one hand. "She actually looks her age, now! Believe it or not!"

May pouts, and in doing so erases any traces of maturity from her appearance. "Wallace… Geez, I thought you were on my side in this… Come on…"

The two continue their charade for a minute or two, until the Sootopolitan man finally waves May off back to the changing room. She's sure she has never changed out of an outfit quicker in her life – the heavy fabric might be good for the dead of winter, but in a Hoenn boutique it's practically unbearable, and she's starting to sweat. Then, Wallace nearly has to drag the girl to the register, reassuring her again and again that he would pay and it was perfectly fine, and May grinds her teeth when the cashier reads off the total. With the struggle finally over, and its fruits all packed into a small, black paper bag with the store's logo on the side, the duo heads back out into the bustling empty streets.

When they've at last reached Wallace's mansion again, May has recovered – or rather, returned to her usual gloomy and nervous self, given her upcoming plans. A heavy pat on the shoulder is hardly enough to draw her back into reality. "May?"

"Yes," she speaks up, hugging the bag to her chest. "I should call Salamence back. Lilycove or Slateport might have a boat leaving for Sinnoh…"

Wallace flicks his bangs, and May can't help but wonder who he killed to have them stay so sleek and smooth all the time. "You can't just take the League transportation? I assumed you knew about that, but since Steven left so soon you were probably left in the dark about a number of things…"

"That's not it," May says, almost defensively, her eyebrows lowering. "It's just… I want to stay as low profile as I can when I leave, you know? Since I'm supposed to be at the Frontier, and not running off to another region…"

"Ah, I see, I see," Wallace hums. "Low profile… That's never really been my way, but I suppose I could contact a few people and see what I can find. I'll call you tomorrow with a definite plan."

With that, the Sootopolitan started for his doorway. It was dark now; Salamence descends from the skies, landing in the soft heather a couple of meters away. May looks from the Pokemon to Wallace's retreating form, realizing with panic that if she went home, she'd have to explain to her parents why she was there and not at the Frontier, potentially jeopardizing everything, and if she returned to her office at the League, she'd likely end up having to do the same thing with the Four. The trainer is much too exhausted to attempt a secret base somewhere on the mainland, so she follows Wallace.

He glances over his shoulder in question. May explains her dilemma in the simplest way possible, adding that this way she could get a head start on her travels in the morning if Wallace could simply tell her which city to fly to and which boat to take.

The teal-haired man pushed open the door further to allow May to step inside first. "Be my guest, Champion May. Just don't venture too far into my wine cabinet, yes?"

* * *

May topples over on the leather couch in the foyer first thing, the bag holding her winter outfit resting by her shoes and her pouch holding all of her Pokeballs, items, and Pokenav within arm's reach. Wallace is about to offer her a sheet from the laundry, but he realizes she's out cold and opts to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he retreats to the den a ways down the hall, and starts up the desktop resting on one of the tables to begin his search.

It takes an hour for him to realize that there was virtually no way May could make a one-way trip to Sinnoh without making her name and identity known, due in part to the fact that with the end of autumn upon them, many commercial boaters and fishermen were ceasing travel and settling down in Hoenn for good until the spring. He sits back in the office chair, sighing, and silently chastises himself for not buying that private jet a while back, when he'd had the money for it. Unlike Steven, he wasn't one for leaving Hoenn or even Sootopolis often, unless contests or League business called for it.

Another idea occurs to Wallace, then, though, and he flips open his Pokenav - it's not quite midnight, yet. Scanning through the screens, he settles on a number and waits for the tone.

" _Good evening,"_ comes a gruff voice from the other end. " _A little late to be calling this old man, don't you think?"_

"Drake," Wallace greets, "Hello."

* * *

Wallace is yawning by 1AM and wanders back out into his kitchen to get a sip of something before he passes out. One hand lazily brushes over the light dimmer, but fails to actually get the light on. It's not until he's squinting into his refrigerator that he hears the faintest groan and remembers he has company. Closing the fridge door, Wallace saunters over to the back of the couch, looking down at what seems to be the source of the noise.

May's skin is clammy, Wallace can tell even in the dim light, her features tightened, jaw clenched. As he stands there her arms twitch just slightly, accompanied with a choked gasp and the quietest " _N-no…"_

The Sootopolitan feels tired all of the sudden, watching this, though he couldn't help but figure that this would happen if May were to ever crash at his place. After all, the few times Steven had been in the same place, during that conflict, he'd been the same, albeit he seemed to be a lighter sleeper and would end up awake and laboring away at notes or wandering around outside instead. Sootopolis just did not do good things for them, it seemed. Wallace had handled everything a little better, that much was clear, although he had beenprivy to the mythos and powers of Kyogre and Groudon beforehand, and had a few years on the two of them as well. _You shouldn't have left her here, in this state,_ thinks the elite trainer with a frown. _Back then, you were always driven to help her, but you left when perhaps she needed you the most, my friend._

He sighs, figuring that he's being a little selfish, at least on this poor girl's part. Steven hadn't been lying when he'd said he needed a break from Hoenn. Retrieving the blanket he'd picked up earlier and tossing it over the Champion's quivering form, Wallace retreats to his bedroom and drifts off to sleep.

* * *

"A-are you sure about this?"

The corner of Lilycove Harbor that the strange trio of May, Wallace, and Drake of the Elite Four stand in is quiet, and a little run down; in addition to this, the air is heavy with the scent of raw fish. The only people around are older fishermen, paying the trio no mind, but this is due in part to their disguises. All three are dressed casually, though each at their own level; May is wearing the getup of an average Hoenn woman, with a cheap convenience store sundress and a hat not unlike what a tourist would wear – Wallace all but forced her to disguise herself at least until the ship departed okay and was out of the busier parts of Hoenn's coast. Stubbornly, she'd kept her running shoes on. Wallace himself is in a pair of sea-blue capris and a white dress shirt, and had even ditched his signature hat to replace it with an inconspicuous baseball cap. The sunglasses he's wearing, May thinks, might stand out a little too much. Drake is the only one who would truly be recognized here, no matter what he wore, so he hadn't bothered to change his look. May has a hard time imagining the intense older man wearing anything remotely casual without laughing.

The Champion herself is equipped with a large backpack holding all of the belongings she's bringing with her, which, clothes and bag aside, wasn't very much since she hadn't stopped by her parent's house or her room at the Frontier. _All I really need are my Pokemon,_ she had told herself with confidence.

"That's it," Drake grumbles, pointing over to one of the shoddier docks where a large, industrial fishing boat is anchored. A few men bumble about on board, waving to the Elite Four trainer now and then. Wingull flutter back and forth between the rails and masts, chirping up a storm, and there are one or two Machoke carrying crates back and forth, as well. "They're a good crew. One of the last I know leaving for Sinnoh for the season. They'll take you, no questions asked with my word."

May bows deeply to the man, the contents of her backpack shifting as she does. "Thank you very much, Drake. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

He waves a hand. "Don't be. The best of luck to you, Champion."

Wallace, who'd been quiet, crosses his arms. "They certainly don't seem like my crowd, but if you're really willing to do this to get to Sinnoh unseen, May, I won't object. If you're willing to wait a few more days, however, I could probably find a little more… attractive form of transportation…"

The trainer shakes her head. "This is fine. I need to get there as soon as possible," May replies, her back straightening as she becomes disarmingly serious. "Thanks for your help too, Wallace. I'll do my best."

With that, May turns on her heel and strides the rest of the distance to the dock. A few of the sailors, who'd finished packing their loads, glance down at her and, upon noticing Drake standing not too far away, help her on board. As she reaches the top of the ladder, grabbing hold of an offered hand to stable herself, May feels the oily grime part of the occupation stick to her palms, and on the deck, the stench of the ship is overwhelming, but she doesn't let it bother her; after all, the setting isn't that different from the docks outside her seaside home in Olivine City.

Within the hour, the fishing vessel is leaving the harbor, and Lilycove's familiar, angular skyline becomes smaller and hazier by the minute. May's eyes are glued to the horizon where Hoenn lies and where it feels like so much of her life has been spent, watching every contour of it fade until there's nothing left. There's an uneasy swirling in her gut, not seasickness, but something close in feeling, and she grips the railing of the ship's stern tighter. Behind her, the sailors are going about their tasks with leisure, curious about their last-minute addition to the party but not the least bit snoopy.

 _Mom, Dad, goodbye. I'll be back soon,_ she thinks, heart racing. _Dawn, and Steven… I'm on my way. Please hang in there._

* * *

 **A/N:** Two quick things - this was a short one, but I apologize if Wallace is totally OOC. He has a really elegant way of speaking in the games I haven't quite gotten down, lol. And I love the HC that as a friend, like with May or Steven, he's actually really chill and fun to be around, as well as classy since he is a contest star and all that.

I guess at this point I also haven't explained this, but May and Wallace are sort-of sharing the title of Champion while Juan takes over the Gym. That'll be explained soon. Basically, he covers for her at the League partly because she's gone on vacation to the Frontier and partly because she didn't have anyone to help out with/explain all the new responsibilities at first since Steven left.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Real quick - despite how much time I spent working out the timeline for when this would take place, it looks like I mixed up a big blaring detail - GSC/DPPt were three years after RBY/RSE, not two, which would make this fic around four years after RSE, not three - so after all of the postgame of D/P, which begins just a little later than GSC. (This'll be important later, when we learn about what Steven's been up to since he left Hoenn.)

So four years seems like a much longer time, but it's the best estimate I have, I think. Basically, the call from Dawn is directly following the end of Platinum (since Steven had just moved out of his villa in the Resort Area).

* * *

4.

The ship has already reached the open ocean, with Hoenn hidden far off somewhere behind them, swallowed up by the dull stretch of midnight that surrounded the fishing vessel in all directions. Due to this, the ship's movement has slowed to an idyllic, back-and-forth rocking, not quite enough to throw one off balance, but still noticeable, still a reminder in the back of May's mind that she's on the sea – no matter how many blankets and pillows she buries herself beneath she's still aware of it due to that tipping.

Rolling over in bed, May gropes around for her bag. Her hair is a mess, as she's spent the past hour with her head shoved beneath her pillow. She was given one of the best bunks on the ship – which wasn't saying much, for a shoddy fishing vessel, but still – despite her insistence that the hardworking sailors should take them instead. It has two flattened pillows that are somewhat damp and smell of salt, but May finds the coolness of them comforting.

She props them against the wall and sits up, rummaging through her bag, pulling out a variety of items. It's been a day since they left, and already she's bored out of her mind – she's spent most of her time either training her Pokemon out on the deck, observing the fishermen, or, much more often, holed up in the bunk trying not to let bad memories come back to her.

It was embarrassing for her to admit that she was offset so much simply by riding a boat out to sea, so she had lied to the fishermen who'd come to her door knocking in concern and told them she was only seasick. Even that had been a little humiliating for her, but for all these people knew, she was simply a young woman traveling to Sinnoh, not the Hoenn League Champion, so she figured a simple young lady would be allowed to be seasick for once.

But the true culprit was something much more malicious. The idea of being out at sea, on a clunky, old ship full of strangers, set a primal fear into May's gut that she was unable to shake off no matter how much she convinced herself that she was safe. Being on the deck had amplified the fear, and whenever she ventured out, in the end she'd wind up in her bunk again, trying desperately to pretend that she was elsewhere.

 _You're pathetic,_ the Champion tells herself, biting her lip.

It hadn't happened in so long. Of course something like that would change her – the battle between Kyogre and Groudon. It would incite fear into anyone, to stand there before two titans and be told that the only person capable of stopping them from ravaging the entire world you knew was yourself. But May hadn't expected to be so shaken by other things, minor things, after everything was over, too. Anything from one of Hoenn's routine thunderstorms, to the occasional minor earthquake, to surfing trips with her Pokemon, to meetings with Wallace in Sootopolis. They were all like little scars that, with just the right memories resurfacing, could be torn open and bleed freely again. But a boat ride? She's flat-out humiliated that she's so uncomfortable.

The last time she'd felt this unease, at least within a similar setting, had been shortly following her defeat of the Elite Four. May's father had given her tickets to travel to a brand new facility called the Battle Frontier. Brendan had joyously tagged along, talking all the way across the Slateport Harbor and throughout the whole ship ride there – which had, fortunately for May – only taken an hour or two. He'd failed to notice, in his own excitement, how pale his friend had become, how her hands had been shaking, how her eyes were cloudy, looking past everything as if she was elsewhere. He'd poked fun at her reluctance to take to the deck; May could never blame Brendan, though. He didn't know. She hoped he never would know, because one thing would've led to another and he'd find out just how involved she'd been in the downfall of Aqua and Magma and the crisis with Kyogre and Groudon.

Time had made things better, helped her heal, or so May had thought. She finally finds what she's looking for in her pouch and huffs, holding it up closer so that she can see in the dim light. They're letters, a whole bunch of them, from a variety of people; the bulk of them are from Jasmine, though, her childhood friend back home and the Gym Leader of Olivine City. The latest one had come in the past week, though they were addressed to her home in Littleroot still, so her parents had had to forward them to the Frontier, where May was busy challenging the Battle Tower. It's only now that she has a chance to break open the envelopes and pull out the letters within.

Just as she's reading the heading on one of them, admiring the cute little Woopers printed at the top of the periwinkle stationery, the ship lurches. The contents of her bag go spilling off the bed in front of her and onto the floor; May can barely catch herself in time to keep from falling off, too. For a brief moment, panic seizes her and she's still as a statue. The horrible thought occurs to her that perhaps Kyogre has hunted her down, returned for a second round – that in her absence from Hoenn, however short it has been, Archie somehow seized the Red Orb again and…

 _No,_ thinks May, clutching her forehead. _I need to be rational…_

"Just a storm!" calls out a sailor from the hallway, his gruff voice muffled through the wall but the reassurance in his tone clear. "Nothing we can't handle, Miss."

"Okay," comes her reply, and May cringes at how she sounds like she's about to vomit. Leaning over the bed, she moves to pick up whatever is within arm's reach; the letters hadn't traveled too far, thankfully. Her blue eyes pick out the stationery of a similar color among the pile, and, stretching, she reaches for it, only for her to accidentally tap another letter with her finger. Unlike the rest, the paper is blank, unstyled, and folded over multiple times, the edges of the folds worn. Her expression sobers as she recognizes it – of course she'd recognize it. The ship tips again, this time back to the other side, and May is able to keep herself in place by clutching the mattress this time. The folded letter slides into her extended hand on its own.

The Champion sighs, her teeth chattering against each other with the movement. Ignoring the rest of the clutter on the bed, she pulls the blanket around herself and curls up, her hair spreading out across the pillow. Trembling fingers fumble with the corners of the paper until it's completely unfolded; the small lamp sitting just beyond the bed, on a nightstand, sheds yellow light onto the back of the thick stationery, which in turn casts a dark shadow over May's face as her eyes, as dull and cerulean as the sea outside, scan across the words written.

* * *

 **6 days after the inauguration of Champion May**

* * *

The grasslands of Mossdeep City were quiet, serenely so, with only the whisper of the wind making itself heard. In the distance was the faint hissing of the sea, lapping at the island city's rocky shore, still slightly bloated and upset from the historic battle that'd gone down mere weeks ago. It was a Sunday night, the sun having just sunk below the horizon. In its wake was a dim, pale glow, with stars beginning to flicker to life here and there. Most of the city's population was home with family; far off in the distance, at the crest of a hill, the Space Station held only a few lit windows.

May hiked up the countryside, on an uneven path that weaved between expensive, yet humble, seaside cottages and flourishing fields of flowers. Her eyes were focused on the ground, watching her step, though her thoughts were elsewhere, wandering back to the last time she'd been on this trail and the events that'd happened around that moment. Against her will, a lump of nervousness swelled up in her throat and she tried to swallow it.

 _Steven…_

The days after the Championship battle had been hectic, to say the very least. The morning after, May was stormed with mail, paperwork, and even reporters that'd caught up with her on her way to Oldale Town to shop with Brendan. Having been taken completely off-guard, she realized she might've been a little blunt in answering their questions.

 _"Champion May! You've returned home! How does it feel to be the new Hoenn League Champion?"_

 _She exchanged a glance with Brendan, who was raising an eyebrow. "Um… Err… Great," managed May, having to shuffle forwards to reach the teal-haired reporter's mic, not sure if she was too close or far. "I can't believe it...!"_

 _The woman smiled, nodding at the cameraman by her side, who was tilting the huge device up and down. "Excellent! Tell us, was it an easy fight? Did the former Champion Steven Stone live up to his title as the strongest trainer in Hoenn? Or…"_

 _May blinked. "Err, yes, of course. It was really tough. He's the_ Champion, _after all. Or, was…" The title still sounded foreign on her tongue, Champion, even though…_ I took it from him. _The thought brought a little pang of guilt to the girl's chest, and, reflecting on the condescending tone the reporter had used, she spoke again: "He's not just a strong trainer, though. He's also a geologist and knows a lot about Hoenn legends."_

 _The reporter nodded slowly, understanding working its way onto her sharp features. "I see." In the corner of May's eye, she saw Brendan's arms cross._

 _Turning, the short, excitable woman suddenly became aware of the boy's presence. She glanced between the two youths, her eyes lighting up. "And this is… Brendan Birch, the son of the Pokemon Professor?"_

 _May hesitantly bowed her head again. "Yes."_

 _"I see. What's his relationship to you, Champion May?"_

 _"He's my friend," responded the trainer, nonchalantly. Of course, the two of them had gone through some tension ever since May had surpassed him and defeated the League, but they were working things out, slowly but surely. The girl wasn't quite sure she could explain all of this to the reporter._

 _The woman's wrist moved so fast, turning the mic from herself to May and back to herself again. "Do you two work together?"_

 _"No," May responded. "He does more field work now, like Professor Birch."_

 _"If I may ask, how did you two meet?"_

 _"Well, right when I moved here, my mom forced me to go-"_

 _"Our parents are good friends," Brendan butted in, leaning over the mic. One arm slung around May's neck amiably, earning a not-so-amiable glance from the girl. "Of course, I helped May along the way on our journey, since she's not from Hoenn. I'd say I had a_ pre-tty _instrumental role in her becoming Champion!"_

What? _May clicked her tongue in annoyance._

 _"I see! So, the younger Birch took on the role of mentor for you, Champion! You must be thankful for his guidance?" hounded the woman, and suddenly May wanted to snap at her, but her eyes held nothing but innocence and ignorance in the situation, so instead the girl forced herself to take a deep breath._

 _"Not really," chimed May, shoving her hands in her shirt pockets and leaning back on her heels. With her change in posture, Brendan had to awkwardly withdraw his arm, inwardly cringing at May's lack of acting ability._

 _A look of amusement took over the reporter's face as she glanced between the two trainers again, and then to the camera. "Oh-ho! It appears our new Champion is the proud type, folks! As expected coming from a Gym Leader's daughter!"_

 _By now, May was grinding her teeth. Brendan was holding back a grin, not sure if it would be better or worse if the camera had a high enough resolution to pick up on the Champion's sour expression._

 _The woman swiveled around on her heel to smile back at the lens. By now, some attention had been drawn to the commotion from their place on the grassy trail just outside of Oldale's city gates. "So, Champion May, on that subject – what does your father think of your new position?"_

 _The questions had become innocent once more, at least, and May bit her lip, thinking back to her father's reaction to the news, how joyful he was when she had finally gotten home late that night, and the girl started to speak, still remembering how apologetic he was, how she hadn't seen him that happy in so long, and then older memories welled up – how much the image contrasted with the man that didn't want her training Pokemon until she was so much older, kept her from starting her journey in Johto, chased after her when he found out she had gotten involved with Team Aqua-_

 _"Norman was crazy happy!" Brendan blurted out, the words fuzzy and not quite reaching May's ears. "I was there, we biked home together. You should've seen the look on his face – the guy's like an uncle to me, so I've known him since I was a kid, but I'd never seen him that emotional! Hahahah!" Blinking, May turned to Brendan. He didn't lose his big grin, and he didn't look away from the reporter, either. Instead, he threw that arm back around her neck again. "May here'll probably get all misty-eyed thinking about it, so I think we better run before Hoenn sees their newly-appointed Champion crying on live TV. See ya!"_

 _The reporter, astonished, looked to the camera and then back at the two retreating trainers as Brendan half-dragged May away, towards the Pokemart that was glimmering blue in the distance. "W-wait! Brendan Birch! Champion May!"_

 _"Sorry! Mom's got a grocery list and Dad's out doin' field work!"_

* * *

 _The duo had reached the medicine aisle of the Oldale Pokemart when May finally decided to speak up. She turned to Brendan, who was leaned over to the bottom shelf, scratching his chin as he glanced at the numerous white bottles. Huffing, she placed her hands on her hips and loomed over the boy._

 _"What was that for? That was my first interview as Champion." She noticed her voice sounded shakier all of the sudden._

 _Brendan stood up, item in hand. "I've lived here my whole life, May. I've seen enough TV – they'll rip you apart. You probably don't realize, since you're from Johto. But just take my advice on this one, and stay away from the media."_

 _The Champion huffed. "Brendan, I don't think you get it – I'm the_ Champion. _I can handle some nosy questions." They continued down the aisle, back towards the produce. In a town as small as Oldale, the Pokemarts opted to carry locally-grown foods as well as trainer items._

 _"_ Because _you're the Champion," he responded accusingly, "they'll hound ya even more. Among other things," pausing, Brendan reached into a cooler and pulled out a carton of fresh milk. "Also 'cause you're a girl, and you're a Gym Leader's kid, and there's the whole thing with Team Magma and Team Aqua, whatever that was, which they'll bring up eventually, and also you were pretty good friends with Steven, apparently." They moved on to the checkout, and he handed the few items he'd picked up to the cashier. "Also, you're my friend, and_ I _happen to be the son of Professor Birch."_

 _Realizing she hadn't picked up the beets her mother had asked for, May hurried back into the store. It was her Plusle that located the crate of the little vegetables first, peeping and bouncing up and down around it to draw its trainer's attention. (For some reason, the Pokemon didn't like staying in its ball, and to make matters worse, it tended to wander off when left out.) By the time May was back at the register, Brendan was waiting with his shopping bags. The gril dug through her pouch for money._

 _"Hey, kid, you're the new League Champion, right?" asked the cashier, scratching his goatee as he got May's change._

 _May nodded, standing up a big straighter. "That's me."_

 _Handing her a few coins, the man smiled. "Gee, you hardly look like the girl that came buzzing through here 'few months ago with a Torchic." He turned to Brendan, then. "You, too, Birch."_

 _Brendan shrugged. "What can I say? Traveling the region is pretty taxing."_

 _With a quick goodbye, the trainers left the store and started back to Littleroot Town. May stuck to observing her surroundings, the familiar oak trees, grassy spots in the fields where she'd fought beside Torchic in some of their first battles, the ravine where she'd crashed her bike while running away from home after getting the Balance Badge. It brought echoes of pain, both in the bruised spot on her shin and in her heart._ All of that's behind me now, at least.

 _"If being the Champion is anything like being a Pokemon Professor," chimed Brendan with a smirk, "which I doubt it is, but if it was, you're gonna be totally swamped the next couple a' days, May."_

 _As the new Champion would find out over the next few days, Brendan was right; there was so much seemingly needless paperwork, so many people in the League May was to call up and check in with, verify her information, jot down the phone numbers of the Elite Four and a dozen officials so she could know when there were meetings, when there was off time, when there was training – apparently, the girl thought with a scoff, that was a_ thing _for the "strongest trainer in the region" – and most importantly, when a trainer had begun the League challenge. There were so many dates to jot down, too – tournaments, events, all optional, but highly encouraged. On top of all this, May had to review notes from other regions; one caught her eye, Kanto, which shared a League with Johto, her home region. The current Champion was young and new, like herself._ I wonder if I'll get to meet them, someday, _May had thought with a smile._ _The labor of paperwork aside, things seemed exciting to her._

 _But more importantly to May, her father was proud. Her mother was joyous. Professor Birch, she could tell, was proud too, but he was moreso excited for all the different Pokemon May would continue to register in the Pokedex. She had received calls from all of the other Gym Leaders with words of congratulations, and somehow they had all been in order, starting with a very spirited Roxanne._

 _Wallace's call came last, the fifth night after her victory. He sounded collected, to May, almost too much so perhaps, though his congratulations were genuine. He commended the girl for her work "at that time", too. But she found something felt off in the way he spoke, shifty. With a grunt, May rolled over in her bed, moonlight peeking in from the blinds, holding her Pokenav to her ear as she snapped the Pokedex that was in her other hand shut._

 _"In any case, come visit Sootopolis next time you're in the area, May, and we can get lunch."_

 _May glanced around her room as she processed Wallace's words. Her head tilted in question. "Err, okay."_ I always knew Wallace was the flirty type, but he's not actually-…

 _There was an easy chuckle from the other end. "May, so innocent. I do mean it, though – there are some matters I'd like to speak to you about. Call it what you want – I suppose the reporters that hounded you the other day will assume it's a little romantic rendezvous, no matter what, right?"_

 _May frowned, the sea of paperwork that had been haunting her the past few days again appearing in her mind. "Is it urgent…? I'm kind of busy with Champion stuff, from dawn to dusk. I don't really have time for vacations…"_

 _"Exactly one of the matters I planned on discussing," replied Wallace, "though I suppose this, I can tell you right out: the League and I have been speaking, and with my mentor Juan I have been, too… Considering your experience, and that you're just hardly an adult, the role of Champion may be overwhelming… no?"_

 _It took a moment for May to follow his words. Wallace wasn't very blunt. "I… well, I can handle it- it's a lot of paperwork and such, but… No, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"_

 _Ignoring her previous statements, Wallace continued, his voice smooth sounding even through the cruddy Match Call line. "So then, how would you feel about splitting responsibility with me?" A pause. "You'd keep the title and status of course; but as someone experienced with this sort of thing, and with the League, I think I could be quite an asset."_

 _"What?" Taken aback, she sat up on her bed, folding her legs. Skitty, whom she had caught some time back to keep her mother company at home (its company was much more preferable to the woman than that of Mightyena) nearly slid off of the comforter. "But- that's so much work- why would you…"_

 _"To be honest, the League pays well," chimed Wallace, and she heard the clanging of glass in the background._ Is he drinking? _"Hell of a lot better than even the eighth Gym position does, actually. That's not to say I'm robbing you or anything, now; you'd still get whatever comes out of the challenging trainers, and for meetings and public events and all that jazz. I can't imagine you'd need that much considering you're still living with your parents. Or traveling, or whatever it is you're doing with all that money the other seven and I donated to you over the past couple of months."_

 _May's thoughts swirled around her. She bit her lip. He certainly didn't seem to have any malicious intent with the request. Having fought beside the man during the battle with Kyogre and Groudon, May was sure he was trustworthy. "What about the Sootopolis City Gym, then?"_

 _"My mentor, Juan, will be glad to take over. It's contest off-season, after all," retorted the older trainer. "I'm sure you'll meet him the next time you visit Sootopolis."_

 _May ran one hand through her hair and leaned back against the wall._

 _"What do you think? Champion May?"_

 _"Sounds good, Wallace."_

 _With a few more formalities, the two ended the call. May flopped back into her bed, at last feeling a sense of relief from the endless stress of the past three days._ Oh, _she remembered,_ I forgot to ask him about Steven.

* * *

As things turned out, it took another three days for the two elite trainers to figure all of the Champion business out. Splitting the responsibilities wasn't as easy as the older man had made it sound, but it certainly did work out well. May found that it was less that the two were both 'Champion', but more that he was acting as a guide through the processes, or an assistant. She had been worried at first that Wallace might get upset over the fact that even with him taking so much of the workload, May herself would still get the attention; the Gym Leader had assured her, however, that attention was apparently not as valuable as she had assumed, and that he already had enough of it being a 'Contest magnifico'.  
So, in those six days, May had been so totally 'swamped', as Brendan had put it, that she'd hardly had enough time to travel out of town, or to spend time with her Pokemon. Now, with a free day finally in her grasp, the Champion could do all of those things; unfortunately just traveling to Mossdeep City had taken up every last ounce of daylight.

The trainer rounded another curve, spotting a vaguely familiar cottage at the crest of the last hill. It was unmarked, but the man that lived here was certainly anything but inconspicuous. May quieted her footsteps as she neared the door, suddenly feeling stupid for even coming. _There's nothing wrong with saying thanks,_ the girl chided herself, brow scrunching as she stared down at her feet. _Or sorry, even, for such a blow at his career – I had no idea_ he _was Champion, that I'd be kicking him out._ The one phone call she'd made hadn't gone through, either. All the trainer wanted to do was say a quick thanks – after looking back on their many meetings and conversations throughout her journey, she was painfully aware of just how much more Steven had done than necessary to help her, Aqua crisis aside.

May's eyes squeezed shut as she took in a big breath of air, puffing out her chest as if she were about to dive into cold water. Raising a hand, the girl knocked firmly on the wooden door, her embarrassment growing by the second, cheeks dusted with pink. _Be calm, May, be calm-…_

Thirty or so seconds passed, and the house was as still as an ancient ruin. There wasn't even a sound from inside, no movement, nothing. The Champion's stance loosened, and again she tapped her knuckles against the door, with gentleness unlike the often-intense girl. Still nothing. Stepping over to the right a little, May stood up on her toes and peeked into the window, all apprehensiveness now replaced with curiosity. It was shrouded in a thick curtain, but behind it was just a faint bit of light, indicating that someone must've been there recently.

 _Steven's kind of preoccupied sometimes, so maybe he didn't hear…?_ May knocked again, pulling off her glove this time so her knuckles could really hit the door, half-thinking that maybe this was a worse idea than she'd initially thought and he might take this stranger for a stalker or, as if it were that different, a reporter. But there was still no movement from inside.

In a split decision, May gave a shy twist to the handle. It was open. Pushing, she swung open the door and stepped inside, then pulled it shut behind her. "Excuse me," she called, her light voice easily eaten up by the silence.

There was no reply, no Steven wandering out of the back rooms with a confused or irritated slant to his face. With the door shut and all of the windows closed, the small cottage felt cold and empty and hushed. The distant ocean and singing of the grass had been cut off. Everything seemed to be normal, at least, between the furnishings – the large, wooden cabinet housing all sorts of colorful – and bland-looking – stones, the display cases here and there and hanging on the dull green walls, the tiny kitchenette, clear of any dirty dishes, the modest, gray sofa, the short oak table in the center of the main room, the cushions surrounding it, the tatami wall leading to the backyard – all of it was still, like each piece was holding its breath. All but the lamp, cone-shaped, a little shabby for someone as wealthy as Steven, hanging by a wire over the main table. It was turned on, the only thing that appeared to be turned on, actually, illuminating a single circle of light that blanketed the area around the table, making the scene look like something from a cop drama where suspects would be interrogated. Compared to the last time she had been here, when she and Steven were preparing to confront Aqua head-on, May felt no comfort or warmth in the atmosphere.

Then something caught the trainer's eye, distracting her from the utter emptiness of the house; a small sheet of stationery on the table, blank white with no pattern. (Most of the ones in Hoenn had cute prints on them, of Pokeballs or Wingulls, but this one was lacking) She approached the table, the action being a little easier now that she knew no one was home. It was like tunnel vision; May nearly tripped on the bump in the floor as carpet turned to board, completely forgetting to remove her shoes. (Steven hadn't done this the last time she'd been here, anyways, from what she remembered, but even then, with her Johto upbringing, May had a habit of always doing so) Reaching down, she gently took the paper in an ungloved hand, careful as to not wrinkle it – if it was something important, which seemed possible to May considering it was the only thing astray in the otherwise spotless abode – she didn't want Steven to know someone had come rummaging through and read something potentially personal.

If anything else had been written at the top of the paper, May was sure she would have set it back down and been on her way, briskly, but albeit little disappointed. But hand-written on this sheet was _her_ name, certainly, as the M was capitalized and beside a "to", so it couldn't just be the month she was named after (when you have a name like May, she found, you do tend to misread things often.)

The girl held the paper closer, eyes flying over it.

… … … … … …

 _To May…_

 _I've decided to do a little soul-searching and train on the road. I don't plan to return home for some time. I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to take the Poké Ball on the desk. Inside it is a Beldum, my favorite Pokémon. I'm counting on you. May our paths cross again someday._

 _—Steven Stone_

Brow furrowed, May read it over a second time. And a third. It seemed to be reaching her brain in pieces, out of order. Steven's handwriting, as this was the first time she had seen it, was neat, but not perfect – the letters were a little slanted, she found. The letter was so brief, May thought. There was no fluff, not like how Wallace spoke. Just five neat, curt sentences, and a greeting and a signature.

 _I missed him,_ she realized, tearing her gaze from the paper to glance around the empty house. _He's gone._

Shaking her head, May looked beyond the paper at the tiny object she had failed to notice sitting on the tabletop earlier. A Pokeball. Instinctively she grabbed it, clicked it open, and released the Pokemon within; the flash of light was subdued within the dark walls of the cottage. It gathered into a small, cylindrical shape, then faded, to reveal a Pokemon that was somehow familiar-looking to May.

Out of habit, May's hand grasped for the pocket holding her Pokedex, but then she stopped, not wanting to wrinkle the letter. Blue eyes flicked over the words again; _Beldum._ Beldum. _My favorite Pokemon._ This was a gift from Steven, another, she realized, on top of the numerous ones he'd already given to her. Unlike the rest, however, May couldn't identify a reason to just give some trainer a rare Pokemon like this. She felt the corners of her lips twitching, downwards, into a frown, and a lumpy feeling in her throat, but she refused to acknowledge the warmth gathering in her eyes. The house became more and more spacious by the second, with May's form shrinking back away from the darkening shadows.

The trainer stood there for a few more minutes as the little Pokemon floated around, young and curious. It soon noticed May's condition and rushed up to her, nudging her leg and looking up at her crumpling face with a concerned red orb of an eye. She squeezed her eyes shut because no, she was _not_ crying over this. _Why would I?_ Sniffling, the trainer collected herself, taking a moment to ponder over what she should do with the letter. She eventually decided to keep it, folding it neatly up for some reason and sliding it into one of the few free pockets of her pouch left. Her gaze then returned to the concerned little Pokemon at her feet. It nudged at its trainer's leg again, this time at the weak point by her shin, from her bike injury, and she let out a yelp of pain. Immediately Beldum hovered back a few feet, humming what was probably an apology.

May took a few deep breaths. It seemed to be waiting for her to do something, make a move. It was a weak-looking thing, she found; with most of her team now hardened from the Gym challenge and Elite Four, it certainly wouldn't fit in with them, but considering its rarity there was no doubt the Professor would take immediate interest. But it was Steven's gift, thought the girl. Steven's Pokemon. She clutched the Pokeball tighter in her hand, then knelt down, reaching out to Beldum.

"Hi there," said May, timidly. The Pokemon, in an equal show of shyness, hovered back over to her, the orb on its head moving from the trainer's extended hand to her face, and then it glided beneath her palm, humming. The metal held a slight warmth that gave off the sense it was alive.

After another minute the Champion recalled her newest Pokemon to its ball, switched off the lamp, and stepped back outside. This time, she didn't bother heading back to the shore to take to the skies. Salamence materialized in a grassy patch just outside the now dark cottage, kneading at the soft ground with its claws, and May wordlessly climbed atop its back. It was still uncomfortable to ride the Pokemon bareback, she found; its scales were pointy, but smooth, much unlike the feather down of Latias. Salamence let out a soft growl, a question.

"Just fly," she told it, leaning onto its wide neck. "I don't really care where we go."

The Pokemon, having waited through two entire evolutions to grow its wings, was more than happy to oblige. With a low, rumbling growl and five heavy flaps of its wings, the two were gliding off of Mossdeep island and over the swirling dark sea of eastern Hoenn.

Despite yelling at herself not to, that it was a bad idea, May dozed off atop Salamence's back. It was winter, now, but the breeze wasn't cold, not this far in the tropics.

Dreams greeted the trainer with welcoming arms, ready to shield her from the cruel realities of the waking world. She was flying, though not atop Salamence. It was a Pokemon of similar feel to Latias, but similar color to the Dragon-type. It was faster, and May almost fell off at one point, but it was less scary than it was exciting. Steven was there, and he was laughing – at her or with her, she wasn't sure, but it seemed like it didn't matter. Latios took them up past the clouds into a landscape that nearly convinced the unconscious girl right then and there that it _was_ actually a dream. Twisting, dancing clouds stained pink and blue and pale, then chilled, damp air, thick mist, then the beautiful show of stars that a Hoenn night brought, the only sound being the wind in her ears. She felt warm, with her arms wrapped around Steven to keep from falling off Latios. When she awoke, realizing it was a dream – a memory, too, but still a dream – she found that her arms were actually just wrapped around Salamence's neck, and she didn't know how she felt. Steven had been so real and tangible and now he was gone without a goodbye, the single letter in her bag all that remained of him. A long breath escaped her lungs, inaudible in the wind whirring about her.

When she opened her eyes, May was immediately taken aback. The mist, the soggy grass, was so familiar to her, and for a second she thought she was back on Southern Island again. But there was no forest, and the air was much thinner, and didn't smell like salt. Dotting the landscape here and there were crumbling walls and tombstones new and old. Salamence grumbled as it padded down the grass beneath it, and then settled down, curling into a ball.

May climbed off of the Pokemon's back, lips curving into a soft smile. The Dragon-type's head, so jagged and ferocious, was wrapped around, resting atop the tip of its long, heavy tail. Crimson wings folded lazily along the Pokemon's sides. Despite being a ferocious dragon, Salamence was, in the end, the same hassle of a Bagon child she had trained.

A breeze blew up the mountainside, ruffling May's hair and giving her the faintest chill. Mt. Pyre wasn't exactly the best place to set up camp, but she supposed she'd told Salamence anywhere, and this is where they had ended up. Taking note of the sleeping Pokemon's position, May hiked up the dilapidated, weed-ridden path to the mountain's peak.

The chill that'd clutched onto the trainer's spine grew as she reached the summit, discomforting memories of Aqua and Magma and Maxie's snakelike figure and deceptions all returning to her. _It's all over now. It's over._

The usual old lady was there; her husband had gone inside for the night, to rest weary bones. May was unsure of the time, but the moon was high in the sky and the temperature was pretty low, so she assumed it was getting late. The sagely woman turned as this newcomer moved towards the two ancient pedestals, and nodded her head in a greeting when she recognized who this was. The wind tugged at the bun of gray hair on her head as if trying to blow it away.

"What brings you to Mt. Pyre? Bearer of the Blue Orb?"

May flinched at the words. "I was just in the area."

Beyond her, on each of the pedestals, sat the Red and Blue Orbs, dim but not lacking in luster and beauty. The sight was more comforting to May than it should've been. As if it was proof that everything was really over. "They're back."

"Yes. They were returned." May drifted over to the pedestal that held the Blue Orb, memories of that time returning once again. She reminded herself for the umpteenth time that the crisis had been averted.

"And the conflict between the ancient Pokemon was resolved…" continued the elderly woman, her voice carried away on the mountain's wind.

May's eyebrows twitched as she recalled the feeling that came with possessing the Blue Orb, the pain when Kyogre was active, how it seemed to eat away at her mind over time – and how quickly each of the artifacts had completely overtaken Maxie and Archie. She suddenly felt short of breath.

"…But it seems that traces of the conflict still remain, in you," remarked the elderly woman.

The trainer remained standing over the orb for a moment more, hands by her side. The breeze continued to sweep up across the peak, blowing blotches of mist across her field of vision. Suddenly she felt the day's journey catching up with her.

"It was hard," the girl found herself saying. "I don't know why you chose me to carry the Blue Orb. I barely stopped that disaster."

Little, faint footsteps, each accompanied by a little _click_ from the sandals the woman wore, grew closer. May felt a weathered, quivering hand grasp hers, which was also trembling the slightest. "Poor child, I wish I had a reason. The orb chooses those who are strong of heart and of pure intention. The conflict is over; Hoenn remains intact, and the orbs are back in their rightful place. Was it not right to entrust you with the orb, then?"

She narrowed her eyes, wanting to say no, that there were others more qualified; Wallace or Steven, namely. Her mind felt boggled again, as if some of the mountain's fog had seeped in through her ears, so she sighed, shook her head, and bowed curtly to the woman. "Excuse me. I'll take my leave."

The elder released May's hand, watching as the girl trotted back down the stairs, until her silhouette vanished into the mist.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

A chill clings to the air in the cabin of the small fishing vessel, reminding everyone on board of their wintery destination. May awakes to this, pulling her sheets around her, contemplating just breaking out her heavier jacket now.

She sits for a while, spacing out, and eventually her thoughts narrow down to the Sinnoh champion, Dawn. What kind of person is she, wonders May, and what was her story? League Champions, she'd learned by now, were not exactly the most average people, as far as Pokemon training went. It took serious ambition. May digs through her bag, remembering the magazine she'd grabbed in Sootopolis before leaving for Lilycove a few days ago. It's a popular trainer publication. May herself had been interviewed by them a few times in the past couple of years. They brag about being professional, but really, May thinks, they're still quite gossipy.

She flicks through the pages. This was an anniversary issue, though it's relatively old, from perhaps a few months ago. Her own picture catches her eye; on a two-page spread, there's a graphic of May, holding out a Pokeball to her side; on the other end of the page is Blaziken. In between, the more notable members of her Pokemon team are listed. Beside her picture, right next to her sneaker, is a legend holding all sorts of information about herself; her age, hometown, type specialization, the date she became Champion, and her initial Hall of Fame team. May scoffs at her own picture again, wondering if her cheeks used to really be that puffy.

She brushes a few more pages over, until her eyes catch the name she's looking for on the top right hand of the magazine; 'Dawn'. The graphic is styled similarly. She had long dark hair and a magenta scarf – she really was pretty cute, thinks the Hoenn Champion, much more presentable than she herself had been. A lock of hair drifts into May's field of vision and she blows it out of the way with a huff. _Dawn, from 'Twinleaf Town'… No type specialization… a little younger than me, huh… And she beat a woman named 'Cynthia' to take the Champion title, with…_ The trainer squints at the tiny font in what little light that the cabin provides. _Her Hall of Fame team… I've never heard of any Pokemon like these in my life. 'Empoleon'…?_

May continues her reading, rolling over onto her side. The faint scent of food drifts past her nostrils, earning a loud rumble from her stomach, but the trainer ignores this, her clouded blue eyes scanning up and down the page.

 _A Contest star too…? And popular, at that… I wonder if Wallace knows her better than he let on?_ May couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension from her gut as she imagined again what it'd be like to meet this Sinnoh Champion.

On the right side of the page, there's a large, bulky blue Pokemon. It… kind of looks like a bird, May thinks, but there's no way something of that size would be able to fly. _Her signature Pokemon?_

Off in the corner of the same page is a note, beside a photograph of some other woman and a little girl faintly resembling Dawn. 'Dawn's Mother' is written in large font; beneath it there's a blurb about how Dawn always was a dreamer, along with some boy named Barry, and how the two would embark on little adventures together as children in hopes to find rare Pokemon.

A knock at the door interrupts her reading, and May slides the magazine back into her bag before saying, "Come in!"

A sailor promptly swung open the door, along with a rush of chilly air and the scent of fish.

"Thank you," says May as she is handed her tray of breakfast. On it is a biscuit, a small bowl of rice, and a cup of instant-coffee. She notices that steam is rising from the liquid – when had it gotten so cold? But the meager serving of food is enough to get her stomach rumbling. She moves back to her bunk to sit down and eat.

"We should be arriving within the hour, miss!" The sailor beamed, still standing in the doorway. "Snowpoint Harbor is within sight! C'mon up onto the deck and see, if you'd like!"

"Oh!" replies May though a ravenous mouthful of biscuit. "Thank you. I'll head up in a second!"

With that, the fisherman marches off, bounce in his step. May shivers, and takes a moment to wrap a sheet around her shoulders. _Snowpoint…_ The city's name itself seems to be a hint as to what kind of climate she'd find herself in. The temperature had gradually been dropping ever since yesterday morning. May gulps down the coffee while it's still hot, then wolfs down the rest of the rice and gets back to her feet. The ship's swaying has stopped bothering her by now, even as the rocking picks up as they near the shoreline. She goes through a few stretches, her muscles stiff from a lack of use, and then begins wrapping herself up in her fresh, new winter attire.

It's been about twenty-five minutes when May surfaces on the ship's deck, earning a few greetings from the sailors up and about. They've all donned the same big, puffy gray jackets, and not without reason; the air is crisp and freezing cold, and the wind coming in from their right rushes through May's rather thin track jacket. Shivering once more and grabbing a hold of her arms, May steps out onto the starboard.

They've already reached the harbor. The first word that comes to May's mind is empty. An empty unlike she's ever seen before. The water around them is a dark gray, stretching around rusted piers and ships in even worse shape than this vessel. Further out, the horizon is a blur of dark green and white, with a few buildings poking out here and there. The sky is completely gray, the clouds fuzzy and indiscernible from each other, but it's a soft gray and doesn't set May on edge at all.

The ship heaves itself into one of the inner piers of the harbor, and the crew promptly gets to work in anchoring it down and fastening it to the dock. Loud, hearty cries of relief are heard across the deck – "Another safe journey!" "I could use some hot oden right now…" "Always a shocker coming home to Snowpoint after being in Hoenn, ain't it?"

May's eyes are glued to this arctic landscape, though. She feels as if she's entered another world. Gloved hands grab hold of the railing at the front of the ship; the cold seeps in through the fabric, slowly but surely, and eventually the chill is so strong that she's snapped back into reality. Taking in a deep breath – and coughing as the frigid air fills her lungs – May turns back to the crew.

They're hard at work unloading various crates of game from Hoenn, as well as moving equipment, securing the ship, and everything else. May hesitates – it seems she's welcome to leave – and then reaches for a Pokeball, letting out Blaziken and Aggron (the latter onto the pier, so that the ship itself wouldn't sink).

Many of the fishermen gawk as both Pokemon begin stretching just as May had that morning. Aggron in particular is grumpy and loud, having not been allowed to leave its ball at all for the entire trip. Smiling, May has them assist the crew in unloading the cargo, Aggron able to lug the heavier crates over to the nearby tractor-trailer with no trouble. Blaziken easily leaps from pier to ship, though he's clearly a little more wary of the cold, choppy water lying below. May giggles as she watches the two at work, feeling a warmth in her chest.

The Champion had had a hard time picking her team for her trip, unsure whether Lanette's box system could be accessed in a different region, and she'd eventually settled on bringing Blaziken, Aggron, Salamence, Mightyena, and Metagross – a team of her strongest and most reliable Pokemon that she thought could handle the elements better. With no idea what she could be up against, she didn't want the weaker members of her team to get hurt.

When at last the fishermen are closing up the boat, another twenty or so minutes have passed, and May is playing with her Pokenav. As she thought, there's no map for Sinnoh programmed into it, so she supposes she'd have to buy a map – perhaps it was something she could ask Dawn about. _Right, Dawn,_ thinks the trainer, her eyes moving to the horizon again, where the buildings stood amongst the sea of evergreen trees. _I need to find the Pokemon Center and call her, soon…_

Anxiousness once again building in May's heart, she leans off the railing and approaches Blaziken, who's being praised by a handful of sailors.

"Thank ya so much for the help, Miss! My, these are some powerful Pokemon you've got here!" Comments one of them, shaking her hand and patting her on the head. "We 'ppreciate it!"

"It's no problem at all," May says, recalling both of the Pokemon. "I'm sure they wanted to stretch, anyway. And it's the least I can do to repay all of you for giving me the ride."

The crew says their goodbyes, fortunately not prying any further as to who the mysterious young woman really was, and then May is off, walking along the frosted piers towards what she was told was the town itself.

.

 _I should've asked for a map,_ thinks May offhandedly as she reaches the mainland – and what appears to be a street, but is covered in a foot of snow. What might be sidewalks are in a similar condition, but the snow there is packed down at least by the steps of other townspeople. The trainer, once again starting to shiver, follows the most-used path, hoping it would lead her into the town center – _the Pokemon Center sticks out like a sore thumb, yes it does,_ one sailor had told her. The snow crunches beneath her boots with each step she takes; as she moves further inland it's the only noise besides the distant industrial humming of engines, or perhaps radiators. The buildings in Snowpoint were sparse, and built tall, some with brick and some with wood, each with a chimney hard at work. There seem to be more trees than there are people to May; despite all the footprints on this path she's only passed a few bundled-up individuals in the past half-hour. Still, there's no Pokemon Center in sight, and definitely no sign of a downtown area. Turn after turn, it's trees, snow, and small houses.

May sighs, her breath puffing out in front of her. She shoves her hands in her pockets, as her fingers have grown cold again, and strays from the path, over to a large evergreen tree covered in globs of snow. The scent of pine is strong as she nears a limb. Curiosity gets the best of the trainer, and she reaches up, tugging slightly on one of the drooping branches. All at once, the snow slides off, and stinging cold assaults May's face and neck as the avalanche hits her right in the face. Overwhelmed, the trainer lets out a cry and falls backwards into the deep snow, her hands hard at work to shake the cold, clingy substance off.

Cursing under her breath, she fumbles with the Pokeballs at her belt. Blaziken is released in a heartbeat, staring down in dismay at its trainer.

"A-aaahh! Cold! Please, Blaziken! Get it off, get it off!" May shouts, swatting her knit hat against her hair in an attempt to get the snow out of her scalp.

The Pokemon merely crosses its arms, watching its trainer's struggle, surely embarrassed.

When May is stable enough to stand, she glares at Blaziken and then drapes her snow-laced hat and scarf over its shoulders – its body was naturally hot to the touch – to melt off everything else. "Sorry, Blaze. You know I didn't just bring you because you're a walking glove-warmer. Come on, now."

" _Blaze…_ " grunts the pokemon.

May is just pulling her hat back on when she hears footsteps moving in her direction. Her face instinctively heats up, as despite how she's collected herself, the evidence of her struggle with the tree is still obvious in how messed up the snow is around her. Sniffling and standing up a bit straighter, she turns to the newcomer.

It's a girl approaching May, perhaps a year or two younger than her, but around the same height. She has long, straight black hair, much of it covered up by a thick knit hat, white with the pink design of a Pokeball on the front. She wears a long, red coat – a nice design, May thinks – with leggings beneath, and a puffy white scarf to top it off. Her face is rounded, with two dark eyes that are flicking between May and Blaziken. Her mouth is a thin line, and May finds it impossible to read her expression, but given what she was doing – and how her scarf was still half-wrapped against Blaziken to dry – she could guess she was being looked upon with scrutiny. Even if it was unlikely that a random young passerby from Sinnoh would recognize the Hoenn Champion, May still felt embarrassed, moreso because this was someone around her age, perhaps younger.

"You are…" The girl speaks before May can come up with an excuse for her childish behavior. "The Hoenn League Champion, May… yes…?"

"Huh?" May nearly drops the scarf she's tugging off of Blaziken – it's warm, now, thankfully. "Err – yes, that's me. Erm, can I help you…?" She looks closer at this girl. Something about her is familiar, somehow – is it the hat…?

The dark-haired newcomer stares back with that same blank expression, sizing May up, then says, in that same monotone voice, "I'm Dawn. The League Champion of Sinnoh."

May's jaw drops, again. In her mind, the image she'd seen in that magazine – next to that article she'd been meticulously reading over and over – merges with the image in front of her. This is the same girl, albeit a little older and wearing bulkier clothes. And without the photo-editing treatment, too.

Dawn grows a little uncomfortable beneath May's stare and turns to Blaziken. She's never seen a pokemon like this before, not in person at least – it's similar in a lot of ways to Infernape, she thinks, taking out her Pokedex to confirm the fact that this, too, was Fire- and Fighting-type. The pokemon doesn't seem to mind the snow, either.

At last, May composes herself and straightens her scarf around her neck. Her cheeks are flushed red now, and she shifts a little to the right to cover up the mess she'd made in the snow moments before after playing with the tree branch. "It's good to see you. I was just headed for the Pokemon Center to try and call, but I… I got a little lost, ahah…"

Dawn flips her Pokedex shut and tucks it onto the bag at her side. "It's fine," she replies. "I got word that you were on your way, so I traveled out in this direction earlier in the morning figuring I would run into you. Not a lot of people come through Snowpoint at this time of the year."

"…Ah, right," May mutters, following Dawn as she turns back towards the road. "I'm sorry for not arriving sooner. I hope I wasn't keeping you from anything."

Dawn shakes her head, her hair tossing with the movement. "It's fine. I was expecting you to arrive later, actually."

"…Oh," is May's reply, and she frowns as the heat from her scarf fades. They walk for a few more minutes in silence; May doesn't really know what to say, like she forgot how to introduce herself. Of course, she'd read an article on this girl earlier that had creepily listed many small details about her, already, but she still figures an introduction is due. Dawn is shy, May thinks, or she just doesn't like the Hoenn Champion.

Running a few paces ahead, May walks in step with Dawn and holds out a hand. The girl's dark eyes flick over to May, with vague curiosity, and, noticing her outstretched hand, she stopped walking.

"In any case, I'm May. It's very nice to meet another League Champion," May manages to say, finding that despite all of the introductions she's done in the last four years, this has to be the hardest. "Current, that is. I hope we'll be able to help each other."

"Ah," murmurs Dawn, the faintest traces of amusement reaching her face. "It's nice to meet you, as well. As I said, I'm Champion Dawn, of Sinnoh. It's good that you came."

May beams, but as she remembers again the actual reason she's come to Sinnoh her face falls and her steps slow. "Err… Steven, Steven Stone, that is… Is he here? In… a hospital, maybe? Or…"

Dawn continued walking, past May, following the narrow path of packed-down snow until she reached the crest of the hill they'd been trekking up. They've emerged from the bulk of the evergreen forest, and as May follows Dawn up the hill she thinks she can see black pavement beneath the snow path they're on, as if it's an actual road. When she nears the dark-haired girl again, she's pointing out past them; blue eyes follow the hand. Before them stretches Snowpoint City, in its full glory; dozens of small subdivisions poke out of the glimmering snow cover, with the occasional larger brick building here and there, and a few highrises near the center. Only a handful of roads are visibly cleared of snow, with a car running through now and then. May spots the red-orange roof of the Pokemon Center, too, sure enough, on the south end of town, though pine trees are huddled around it. There's a Pokemart, too, and a more modern building that sticks out like a sore thumb – a Gym, perhaps? _Out here?_ She looks further, eyes glittering in wonder – there was never this much snow in Olivine City – and she spots another strange building on the far end of town, isolated from the urban area.

Dawn's voice is in her ear all of a sudden, and May jumps. "That building in the distance is Snowpoint Temple. That's where we're going. Unless you needed to stop in the Pokemon Center, first."

May looks at the stone structure again, uneasiness settling in her gut. There weren't a lot of people around it. Beyond it, the forest closed in, and disappeared into to the horizon. "The Pokemon Center…" She turns to Dawn, her face suddenly severe, harsh, even, and it throws the younger trainer off. "I don't need to stop at the Pokemon Center. Let's go straight there."

"Okay," Dawn says, padding off before May again.

.

The trip into town is quiet the rest of the way. May wants to ask about Dawn's Pokemon, but the atmosphere is too tense for that, and she's much too worried about Steven to engage in small talk. She'd tried asking about what exactly happened, so that some of the volatile anxiety in her chest could be given relief, but Dawn had assured May that it would be easier to explain once they'd arrived at their destination. So May hurries after the Sinnoh girl, stumbling along in the snow in her new boots, allowing herself to be distracted by the strange sights Snowpoint City offered. The townspeople bumble about wearing layers upon layers and big puffy earmuffs; the few Pokemon May did spot in the distance, hiding in the trunks of trees or leaping from the branches, she didn't recognize, not even from her time at the Battle Frontier.

They pass that wide, modern building on the way. It stands out like a beacon of light – figuratively and literally, as the sign and roof was lit in rainbow colors – and, sure enough, it's a Gym after all. Somehow, seeing a different region's Gym – the aspect of a Gym and League she didn't know – was exciting to May. She asks Dawn about this one – the only bit of information she gets back is that the leader trains Ice-types. _What a surprise._

It's just past midday when the two Champions are through downtown Snowpoint, turning onto another snow-covered path (road?). Trees sprout up around them once more, taller and thinner, shivering in the breeze and sending little flurries of snow down around them; they glitter as the sunlight beaming between the canopy catches them. May is awed by the scenery, yet cannot shake the feeling of dread that's growing within her as they move further away from civilization.

Dawn's steps are sure as ever, however, as if she's been down this path a hundred times, as if getting lost in the frozen woods was not the least bit frightening to her. Of course, May thinks, it shouldn't be, if this girl was League Champion. The thought occurs to the trainer that perhaps Dawn had been through something similar to her on her journey, with legendary Pokemon, that made her seem so mature and detached, but she rolls her eyes at the idea that another potentially world-ending situation like what she'd gone through could have occurred somewhere else, without her even knowing.

At last, that ominous stone temple peeks out from between the greenery, letting itself be known to the two trainers. It's a dark, looming structure, the architecture older than anything either trainer had ever seen. Dilapidated pillars surround it, worn and gray and sporting icicles here and there. The entrance is obvious – a shadowed opening in between four pillars, the darkness inside almost seeping out. Despite being warm from the hike over, May shivers. _Steven was at a place like this…? Why…?_

A woman, young and wearing an orange snow suit, appears from behind one of the pillars, approaching the duo through the heavy snow. May's attention is drawn to the strange objects she has strapped to her feet – wide and circular, and grated, designed for walking over snow and ice, perhaps…? Dawn steps forwards to meet this woman, her face as cold and still as stone.

"Back again, Champion Dawn?"

The woman's tone was anything but friendly. May's brow scrunches together as she glances between the two Sinnoh natives, worry written all over her face.

"I have permission to enter. Please let me pass."

The guard didn't appear to like this, as her eyes narrowed accusingly. "No way. Even if Leader Candice and Cynthia did give you permission, the circumstances have changed. And now you expect me to let in some other random trainer, too?" Accusing eyes darted over to the brown-haired trainer.

May finds this lady's harsh tone to be a bit much, and wonders if Dawn will be okay. She doesn't seem very confrontational. Something about this rubs her the wrong way, but she keeps her mouth shut.

"It's important," Dawn responds, as cool as ice. "And it's Champion business. Please step aside."

Pointing her chin into the air, the sentinel huffs. "Status in a League means nothing in a sacred place like this. No one is allowed back inside. Not until we figure out what's happened."

May tenses when she notices that this older woman has placed a hand on a Pokeball attached to her belt.

"Please don't make this difficult." Dawn's eyes are directed at the ground, at the woman's feet perhaps, her mouth a straight line. "If I'm to figure out what is going on in Snowpoint Temple, I need to enter it again."

"I told you," the guard woman growls, shifting closer to Dawn so that she towers over the smaller woman. "You and your friend will not enter this place. Not after what happened."

Her voice shakes. May is hard at work trying to figure out what's going on – this was where Steven was, wasn't it? _Unless,_ she thinks, _unless… the reason we can't enter, 'what happened' was…_

Dawn has pulled out a Pokeball of her own, animosity growing in her dark eyes for the stubborn lady before her. She really didn't think she'd have to drag Cynthia all the way out here just to give May entry into the Temple, especially considering she has been Champion for over a year now, but…

"Please," May suddenly interrupts, stumbling over to Dawn's side through the thick snow. "I'm here to help, I promise you."

The guard's frustration turns on May. "This is a sacred temple. A place to honor the legendary Pokemon that created rock, ice, and steel. I will not allow anyone access, no matter what special connection they have to Sinnoh's reigning League Champion."

 _Legendary Pokemon…?_ May's mind wanders, and for a moment she looks years older to Dawn. Then she speaks again: "I have experience dealing with Legendary Pokemon." She steps forward again, bringing a hand to her chest. "Please, I can assure you I'm qualified to enter this temple." The guard's stance, her hands on her hips and fists clenched, did not change at this. "Y-you see… I… Four years ago…" May took a step back now, azure eyes drifting off to her right. "I was involved in the crisis in Hoenn, between Kyogre and Groudon," she admitted, each word coming out slowly and unsurely. The guard's eyes widened. "…As was the person who I believe is inside this temple. So, please, allow me to enter."

Dawn's gaze was fixed on May, now, but nonetheless the temple sentinel turned to the Sinnoh Champion, her posture slacking. A long breath escaped her, puffing out into the sky, and then she stepped to the side. "Whatever, then – if you… were truly involved in that crisis…" Her eyes narrowed. "You certainly have an interesting selection of contacts, Champion Dawn. Fine, you can pass. But be wary. And be back before evening."

Both young women nod, and then Dawn takes the lead again, into the darkness of Snowpoint Temple.

.

The frigid air inside hits May like a slap in the face, somehow seeping beneath her winter armor and chilling her to the bone. It's dimly lit, and she regrets not bringing Sableye to use Flash. The same pillars are present on the inside of the temple, looming over May, looking as if they could crumble at any moment. Was that what had happened to Steven? The floor is slick with ice (luckily, the boots Wallace had picked out made up for their lack of showiness with good traction) and rubble lingers here and there, making navigation difficult.

"Luxray," Dawn says all of a sudden, her voice echoing through the floor, "come out and use Flash."

May peers curiously over the dark-haired girl's shoulder. Out of a Pokeball comes a huge feline creature; it hums, stretches its legs, and then the little star attached to the end of its tail lights up a brilliant yellow, illuminating most of the temple floor.

"Watch your step," warns Dawn as she keeps moving. "There's lots of ice, and powerful Pokemon, too, but they've been showing up less, lately. Stay close to Luxray."

May is finally able to pick up some sort of emotion in the girl's dull tone; apprehension. What was it that the Champion of Sinnoh and that guard outside were so afraid of in here? She descends a set of stairs after Dawn, clutching Blaziken's Pokeball and trying to listen for any movement around them. They trudge onward through the unbearably frigid air, and as they pass what seems to be the middle of the floor May tilts her head back to look up at the carving in the temple's center. It has some kind of defined shape, she's not sure what though, with a few circles carved in a pattern. It's eerie; the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she bites her lip, which is already well-chapped. _Where is Steven…?_

After another flight of stairs, May sums up the courage to simply ask Dawn, "What is that statue I keep seeing? In the center of the temple…"

Dawn steps over a pile of displaced rocks. "It's the Pokemon said to be associated with this temple, I think. I don't know much about it." May does the same, almost slipping and falling on the slick ice. "We should hurry."

As they descended to the fourth floor, May begins to feel even more ill. She's breathing heavily, as is Dawn, with each intake of air cooling them even more. It wouldn't be good to stay down here even for a few hours; _in that case,_ thinks May, _how is Steven… even alive, still?_

"It's just ahead," Dawn says on the fifth floor, glancing back at her acquaintance. "The entire floor is covered in ice, so be careful…" Her words trail off as she sees the worry that's worked its way onto May's face.

"On the next floor, then? Let's go," the brown-haired girl mutters, hurrying past Dawn, not bothering to step quietly down the stairs and instead tromping down to the bottom floor.

Dawn is close behind, but her steps have slowed. May, meanwhile, feels as if she has too much energy in her body, that she's too anxious, as she bounds around the corner and trips, sliding backwards. The ice is hard as a rock and cold enough to get her back on her feet in seconds. The trainer ignores her slip-up, peering over her shoulder at her guide.

"Over there," says the Champion, gesturing to the center of the temple floor where there was a break in the thick ice covering, exposing the rock beneath.

May maneuvers her way across the ice, overwhelmed with dread now. Above, icicles as long as she was tall point down towards the glittering floor. Luxray's Flash, with what little illumination it provided, turn the slippery ruins into a light show, with each individual icicle twinkling in the slick ice canvas that was the ground.

May is able to reach the center of the temple, and she stumbles down the choppy rock into a sort of pit that lay just before that eerie statue. Her eyes, swirling and desperate, search the floor for any sign of a body, but find none. Just what was going on? She's shivering like hell now, it's so cold on this floor, like the light of day had never reached this area – and it was likely it had not. All she's concerned about is finding Steven, her worries amplified by the dismal setting.

At last, she's about to turn around and call out to Dawn to just tell her what exactly had happened already. May stands up from her crouched position and swivels on her heel, only to come face-to-face with something haunting.

It's Steven, but it's not. He looks so real and yet is as still as a statue. His body is pressed against the cave wall, beneath that unsettling carving – no, not pressed, May realizes, but the wall itself has latched onto his form, as if the temple itself was swallowing him up. Crystal-like rock attaches the back of his body, arms and legs, to the stone. One of his arms is raised slightly, as if reaching out, and the right is at his side, bent like he was moving for his pocket. One of his legs is bent, too, like he'd been in the middle of walking. His skin is pale, too pale, almost lacking any color at all, his face glossed over in that same translucent, ice-like covering. The back part of his suit jacket and pants is completely solidified into rock, but the effect seems to fade, as the front of his jacket – unbuttoned and hanging outwards – sways just slightly from all of May's movement. He's amazingly still. Even corpses, May is sure, are not this perfectly still. The mixed expression of fear and confusion on his face is unsettling.

May is at a loss for words. She stares up at him, unable even to breathe, and it's as if she, too, is freezing into the same state. But something in the back of her mind urges her to move, and without thinking she pulls off one of her gloves to reach up and touch the man's face to be sure what she was seeing was real. As if he were made of thin, fragile glass, she gently brushes his cheek, and it's so cold, the same temperature as the gray stone of the temple walls. His hair, which she notes had gotten just the slightest bit longer, is also stiff and has the wrong texture to it.

From the top of the ravine, Dawn watches closely, her lips parted. She was going to speak and explain things further, but May seemed too shocked and would likely not hear her words. She almost spoke up when the Hoenn Champion, foolish as she was, took off her glove, but still Dawn could not find any words of objection to offer. She certainly hadn't been expecting this.

As May is drawn back into reality, she's able to retrieve her glove and pull it back over her reddening fingers. All she can feel is horror, horrible uneasiness that makes her legs wobble beneath her. Stuttering, she manages to say, "He's… he's not... dead?"

Dawn's footsteps are close by in a moment. "He's not."

"How… how do you know?" May won't tear her gaze from the imprisoned man.

A hand was placed on May's shoulder, then, drawing her eyes to the trainer beside her. Dawn was holding up a Pokeball; from inside it, a mass of shadow manifests. May recognizes it as some sort of Ghost-type Pokemon – familiar, somehow. Yellow stripes cover its arms, and a single red pupil constructs its face. The Hoenn trainer can only watch and wait. She's too distraught to take out her Pokedex and scan the unknown monster.

"Dusknoir," Dawn orders, "again."

All at once the Pokemon moves, drifting in front of May and holding a hand bigger than her head over Steven. The brown-haired girl has to shuffle over to the left to get a view of what was happening; at first she thinks she's seeing doubles, but as Dusknoir begins to glow she sees this is not the case. The Pokemon pulls a shimmering, partially-transparent, duplicate image of the unconscious trainer further and further from his body. May tries desperately to understand just what it is she's witnessing, and Dawn is looking at her like the reason she believes Steven is still alive should be clear to her by now, but it's not.

Dusknoir continues pulling; the second image is hard to tug away, is attracted back to the first like a magnet. May's eyes are widened in horror; despite the temperature, sweat is dripping down Dawn's forehead. Then, to both of the trainers' surprise, there's a breath, barely audible but there nonetheless. It takes a second for them to realize that the noise came from Steven. Dusknoir pulls further still, swirling violet energy surrounding both it and Steven, and then there is another gasp of pain in response.

"Dusknoir, stop," Dawn commands, and the ghost releases the image at once. It blends back in with Steven's form, and silence settles back over the temple floor at once.

"What-…" May rubs her forehead with one hand, mussing up her bangs. "I don't understand… Just now…"

"Dusknoir is a Pokemon that can transport the spirits of Pokemon… and people," Dawn explained, her voice muted. "His is still present. It's a crude way of checking… but it was impossible to tell just what state he was in, the first time I came down here, with how alive he still looks. His body hasn't decomposed at all…"

The sentence makes May's stomach turn, and she fears her meager breakfast might decide to resurface. "So then, he's still…"

"I have no doubt he's still alive. What confuses me is how he ended up like this. This is not natural… anyone stuck down here for this long would be long dead, frozen over. It's more like he's been put in stasis." Dawn cranes her neck back to look up at the temple ceiling. The icicles are still twinkling, as if a million eyes were settled on the two – three – trainers below. "What's also strange is that there aren't any Pokemon left in this temple. Ever since I found him here, there have been less and less showing up." Her black eyes settle on May's blue ones. "I know this has something to do with the Legendary Pokemon associated with this temple. But that's all I know."

May frowns. Her fingers twitch at her side, playing with the ends of her jacket. "Legendary… Pokemon…" _Could Steven have been looking for it…? But… why?_

"In any case, that's the most we can do, here. Unless you know something more." Dawn sighs and starts the climb out of the pit. "We have to learn more about this place, first, and what this guy was up to here."

The words half-reach May. She's not ready to leave. Her legs don't want to move. All of a sudden the heavy winter gear feels foreign on her body and she longs for her usual set of shorts and shirt, and for the warm, humid air of Hoenn. Part of her wants to simply shout at Steven to wake up. _I don't want to leave. I can't just leave._ Her eyes grow shiny with tears, and they're warm on her numbing cheeks. She reaches out her hand again, not bothering with the glove this time, to touch the one frozen by his side, and his skin might as well have been made of rock.

"…May." Dawn sighs. "We should go. It'll start getting cold, soon."

"Right," replies May.

.

 **A/N:** Dawn may be a bit different or OOC here compared to the anime, but I personally love that interpretation of her being very quiet/shy, and also what Pokespe did with her as Platinum. I think that sort of personality works with May's more fiery one pretty well, too, haha.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** : Okay, I feel super bad about how long I left this fic sitting. My only excuse is that the past semester was absurdly busy, I had very little motivation to write, and that when I did have it, I was mostly using it on other projects. But I haven't forgotten about this one!

* * *

Surprisingly enough, the sun is setting as the two step out of the temple. It's winter, May reminds herself – the days are shorter. The sky is stained saffron, and silhouettes of bare tree branches reach up into it, shuddering at even the slightest breeze. The guard is upon them in moments, a mix of relief and anger on her face.

"We won't be back for a while. So you don't have to get worked up," Dawn states before she can say anything, brushing past the woman. May follows, still in a daze, her eyes shiny and dull.

The Hoenn Champion doesn't really notice how dark it's gotten by the time they make it back into town. The forest becomes pitch black, the brittle branches of the trees reaching out as if to pull her away and petrify her as this place had Steven. The temperature drops drastically, too, and soon May is shivering beneath her clothes.

The city appears before them all of a sudden, blanketed in gentle, twinkling lights, and Dawn continues on towards the Pokemon Center. If Snowpoint was scarcely populated during the day, it was empty at night, though most of the buildings had their lights on at least, enveloping the streets in a warm yellow glow. It starts to snow as they walk, just barely, with big, fluffy flakes falling from the black sky above, as if the stars themselves were drifting down to the ground. Loneliness clenches May's heart, even when she is just one or two steps behind Champion Dawn.

The Pokemon Center is where Dawn has been staying, as it turned out. Like the rest of the town, it's mostly vacant, save for some traveling trainers equipped with all sorts of skis and snow-shoes. She leads her wordless acquaintance down one of the halls, to the suite she'd had picked out, and shuts the door behind them.

May takes a deep breath as she removes her bag, scarf, gloves, and boots. She's still too chilled to take off her jacket, and the hat just stays in place naturally. Dawn shows her the couch, and May sinks onto it with a long sigh.

"Do you want anything?" Dawn's question is careful, coming from the kitchenette somewhere behind May. "There's not a whole lot here. Tea, coffee, noodles, snacks. Snowpoint has good seafood restaurants, but you don't seem up to that right now."

May becomes aware of her empty stomach, but she can't sum up the strength to go to a restaurant. She's much too preoccupied; "Tea" slips off her tongue.

The room is silent save for Dawn's fluttering around in the kitchenette and the faint buzzing of the lights. May hadn't noticed how noisy Hoenn was; nature constantly made its presence known no matter how thick the walls of the building you were in were. Her gaze trails over to the window, and another chill comes over her.

Dawn arrives a few minutes later with the tea. May notices her own mug has hot cocoa in it, and she smiles a little – when was the last time she'd had hot cocoa? Yet here this stoic girl was, casually enjoying a cup.

"We'll stay the night here," she says, "and leave sometime tomorrow, if that's okay with you. The person we're meeting up with should be able to help us."

Slowly, May nods. Given her experience, she's used to always being on top of things, yet in her dazed state she can't really bring herself to care about where Dawn drags her off to.

The Sinnoh Champion starts explaining Snowpoint Temple and some of the stories surrounding it, along with other tidbits May would need to know about the region. She starts off awkwardly, but gradually the trainer grows more comfortable and warms up a bit. At some point the TV gets flicked on, and some program about local trainers is playing – the connection is fuzzy. Between the blurry noises around her, the warm room temperature, and her own exhaustion from the journey in, May dozes off.

* * *

It certainly isn't the first time that May had dreamed of _that_ incident since its occurrence. It might've been easier for her to count the nights she _hadn't_ dreamed about it. Swirling water, a strong constriction on her lungs, distant voices calling her name, images of city coastlines getting pummeled by tidal waves – at this point, the images are familiar to her. Overnight, however, her dreams had been much clearer than usual, like crisp memories that'd happened yesterday. Of Rayquaza and that impossible scene, something out of a storybook, as it quelled Kyogre and Groudon and the disastrous weather around them settled.

The sound of waves lapping against Sootopolis's shoreline in her mind slowly turns into the sound of a faucet pouring out water as she wakes up. Her unfamiliar surroundings jolt her the rest of the way into reality, until she's awake enough to remember that this is Snowpoint City. Her head stiffly turns to the weight resting on her stomach… to find a small ball of pink resting there.

She makes a face. _…Skitty…?_ As soon as she shifts, however, lifting a hand, the thing unrolls and looks up at her in surprise.

"W-whoa!" May's eyebrows shoot up. "A Pokemon…? It almost looks like… Clefairy?"

" _Cleffa!"_ chirps the Pokemon, blinking its sparkling eyes up at the trainer.

"Aww, so cute…!" May grins, now, ruffling the tuft of fur on its head. Cleffa trills in response, leaning in to her touch.

Suddenly Dawn appears, looking flustered. After three or four apologies and bows of her head, she scoops the Pokemon up. "Cleffa… How did you get out of your ball…?" Groaning, she looks over her shoulder at May again. "Sorry, May. I brought her along for contests, so she's not exactly as obedient as the rest of my Pokemon…"

The Hoenn Champion sits up all the way, resting her feet on the floor. "It's fine. I almost thought it was one of my own."

Despite everything, May feels well-rested and re-energized. She wanders into the bathroom, staring her face (and bed-head hair) in the mirror. With a sigh, she presses her hands on either side of her head. _Keep moving forward. Don't let the shock get to you. Trust Dawn._

Her shower-comb-dress routine is a little rushed, considering that Dawn was already looking ready to go the moment she'd woken up. As May leaves the bathroom – a cloud of steam following her – she's startled by the roar her stomach makes.

Eyes wide, the trainer glances across the room to where Dawn stands, stacking up the dishes she'd used the past few days, and for a moment she thinks the Sinnoh Champion didn't hear.

"We can stop for food on the way out," Dawn then says, and though her back is turned to May the smile in her voice is obvious.

* * *

May finds that Snowpoint City looks much nicer come day two. The sun was up and at it when they found a restaurant nestled against the main road. Despite the quietness of the city, the restaurant's interior is anything but, full of loud and boisterous fishermen and travelers. May's wide blue eyes move from the scenery outside, sparkling snowbanks and all, to the diverse faces in the restaurant, to the celebrity-in-the-flesh sitting across from her, and don't seem to focus until her dish is placed before her – the bowl of kaisendon might as well have been glowing, and she instantly digs into it.

Dawn watches from across the table with a ginger smile, taking small bites of her own squid donburi. The restaurant may not have looked it – and for the sake of secrecy, she was glad it didn't – but it was one of Snowpoint's finest. First impressions were everything, after all.

May is finished before Dawn is even halfway through her own bowl, and then walks off into the throngs of other guests. Five minutes later, the trainer is back with hands full of both takeout and Pokemon food.

"I haven't been spending very much of my Champion budget, lately," she says with a sideways grin. "And besides, I've still got my entire Battle Frontier budget I set aside, too."

Once they finish up at the restaurant, the duo heads back down to the docks – it's a little out of the way, but it's also easiest to fly out from, and they might take all day just to get going if they head out through the snow fields of Route 217.

Dawn notes how easily distracted May seems to be. Granted, perhaps, given that she'd never been to Sinnoh before. But, still, her curiosity was unexpected for someone of her prestige.

"Here's a good spot," says Dawn, stopping behind a large warehouse. The scent of raw catch lingers in the air. "We won't draw too much attention, and it's a lot easier than making your Pokemon pick itself up out of the snow."

May nods. "Right… it's been a little while since I've gone for a fly, so if I go bolting off in the wrong direction, forgive me…"

Dawn calls out her Pokemon, and May can't help but watch – some kind of huge crow emerges, with a mix of black and red feathers. Its eyes immediately fall on the unfamiliar trainer, and she almost takes a step back.

The Sinnoh Champion climbs onto the Pokemon's feathered back, nodding again back at May before taking to the sky.

Groaning, the Hoenn Champion plays with the Pokeball in her hands. "Now I almost seem like I'm overdoing it," she thought out loud, before clicking it open.

Out comes Salamence, in all its ridiculous glory, spreading its no doubt cramped wings and letting out a loud yawn. May rushes to its side, shushing it before climbing atop the saddle on its back.

The takeoff is a little bumpy, but they're in the skies in no time, and with a few flaps of its wings Salamence catches up to the black speck that was Dawn. Beneath the shadow cast over her face by her beanie, her eyebrows are clearly raised at the large dragon.

"Where now?" calls May over the wind, already feeling chilled.

"Follow me," Dawn shouts back. "It's a long trip."

* * *

The flight is arduous and cold, and May regrets not getting a heavier jacket. The snow fields below them are pretty, at least; the rolling ridges seem to go on for miles and miles, with a white fog obscuring their vision in the distance. They fly for a little while after the sun sets, then stop at a cottage half-buried in the cold that Dawn somehow expertly has navigated them towards. It houses a kind old couple who Dawn was apparently already acquainted with; they stay the night there, huddled by the fireplace, and set off again in the morning.

Some twenty-four hours after they left Snowpoint, the two finally land at the foot of an enormous mountain. It's shocking to look at. May has never seen something so overwhelmingly massive – Sky Pillar was certainly tall, but it didn't take up as much of her field of vision as _this_ did.

"Mt. Coronet," Dawn comments as she recalls her Pokemon. May can't quite tear her gaze from the structure, the pointed ridges encircling it, the puffy clouds sitting idle near the peak, the glaciers seeping down each crevice like rivers of ice. It dwarfs the snow-peaked mountains they'd seen flying in. "Sinnoh's largest… Though hiking it is a lot less exciting than you'd think."

May finally gets moving, following Dawn into a huge maw in the mountain's side. The interior is roomy, the ground uneven – not unlike the other caves she'd been in before. Her eyes widen at the Sinnoh Champion. "You – you've _climbed it?_ The whole thing?!"

An unreadable expression comes over Dawn's face as she remembers her own challenges at Spear Pillar. "Well… that's off the record, but yes."

May's brow twitches at the wording, but she's in awe nonetheless. The two do some easy hiking through the mountain, weaving in and out of its walls. There's hikers all over the place, and steps carved into the ground, making for easy travel. It must be a popular tourist spot, May figures, considering the signposts and markings and general nice upkeep.

She's not given much time to marvel at the inside of the cave, though, because they're no sooner leaving it, heading east along a craggy grassland. All that remains of the arctic wasteland they'd come from is a few piles of snow soaking into the soggy dead grass. The breeze that blows through the valley is cold, but mild compared to what they were facing earlier. Long shadows blend into darkness as night falls, and the two elite trainers continue their descent.

May's curiosity forces her to break the silence. "Where exactly are we headed, again…?"

Dawn doesn't turn around as she continues maneuvering down the slick rocky ledges of the hillside. "To visit someone who can help us; she lives just ahead, in a town past that hill."

The Hoenn trainer's focus moves to a particularly large green hump in the ground just ahead. Beyond it, she can make out some lights, though they're dim. It certainly wasn't a city, or anything like Snowpoint, even. Above, the beginnings of stars are twinkling to life, with no light pollution or clouds to obscure them. May shivers.

"They must be an expert on Legendary Pokemon, then…?" she pries, still unsure as to how to get the Sinnoh trainer to talk. _Like… Steven…?_

"In a sense," Dawn replies, gently grabbing hold of a pine tree branch as she swings down a rather large ledge in order to skip a very long switchback. "A historian, more like…" she pauses as May does the same, hesitates. "You… might know her. Does the name Cynthia ring a bell?"

As they continue, May suddenly jolts. " _Cynthia!...?_ That's… the Champion, before you?"

Dawn nods. They're climbing the final hill now, with the town lying just before them.

May is impressed with herself. She used to be so out of it when it came to other regions – she could still recount every Gym Leader and League member active when she was growing up in Olivine City, but she'd gone her whole journey in Hoenn in the dark, not even recognizing the Champion himself when he'd helped her on several occasions. Now that she has had the title, though, she'd done much more research – both for her job and out of personal interest. Cynthia was the standing Sinnoh Champion for a while after May herself became Champion of Hoenn, and the trainer regretted not meeting the woman at some point. But it wasn't something she could just casually do, with Sinnoh being on the complete other side of the country.

Now she finds that she's nervous, as she follows Dawn closely into Celestic Town. Yet, it doesn't seem like the home of a league champion, or former, at that. It's old-fashioned, reminiscent of some of the historic cities in Johto, humble, arguably nondescript – and sort of in the middle of nowhere, tucked into the mountains like this. Though for all May knew, there could be a huge city just a few miles away. It was the opposite of a place like Rustboro City, but now that May thinks about it, one of the recent Johto champions had also come from a small, traditional village, too.

All around them, elderly villagers amble back to their houses, some of them carrying groceries, others chattering with each other, many greeting Dawn as if she herself were a resident. Dawn smiles back, giving a kind greeting to each person that welcomes her. May feels like she's sticking out, all of the sudden.

They approach a cottage seated next to a small pond. It overlooks an older section of the town, and in the distance May can spot a shrine, along with some ruins a ways away. She almost wants to go explore them, despite the darkness, but Dawn's gaze on her draws her back to the task at hand.

 _Right, what am I thinking?_ May says to herself. _Getting so caught up like this…_ The town's easygoing atmosphere had quelled some of her anxieties for the time being, at least.

"This is her house," Dawn says, her voice especially subdued. "Before we go in, I should tell you… Don't get Cynthia started on Sinnoh history, alright? She'll go on for the whole night. If you have any more questions, ask me, or just wait until tomorrow."

May's eyebrow rise at the rather strange tidbit. But she understands, perhaps too well – she knew people who got that way. Steven, for instance, with rocks, was the first to come to mind. Even she herself could go on about Pokemon battling strategies for quite a while. Wallace could rant about a number of things… With a sideways grin, the trainer nods.

With the warning issued, Dawn raps her knuckles lightly against the door. There's a muffled, "Coming!" and a moment later, it's swung open, heat and warm light pouring out.

May's practically shaking with anticipation as the door slowly opens, and… and her gaze moves downwards, finding a short, elderly woman squinting up at the two of them.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Dawn!" chirps the lady, the tension in the air dissipating. "Goodness! Come along inside. It's chilly!"

Dawn bows before doing as told. "My friend here – May – is it alright if she…?"

"Oh, yes, yes, come along already!" the woman continues, nodding vigorously at May. The Hoenn Champion is more than happy to leave the night's chill behind and step into the warmth of the cottage, though she's more than a little overwhelmed at the character beckoning her in. She bows deeply, giving her thanks to the woman. "You must be the guest my granddaughter was talking about!"

 _Granddaughter…?_ May thinks as she follows Dawn inside, who's following the elder.

"Grandma…! I- said I could get the door," comes another voice as they step into a larger room, younger but mature, sounding exasperated. The two trainers turn.

May can't help but catch her breath at the person standing before her. Perhaps seeing one Champion in the flesh had desensitized her to the fact that she was meeting _Cynthia._ Just, casually – after nearly two days of traveling on their end. Even in a casual sweater and leggings, she seems more like a model in some fashion photoshoot than a real person, her waist-length blonde hair flowing smoothly out behind her, smile sparkling and broad.

"Cynthia," Dawn says nonchalantly, bowing her head. "Sorry for not calling first. I hope this isn't a bad time."

The woman shakes her head, inviting the two in. "Not at all, Dawn. I've been out and about, and I just returned around an hour ago, anyway. It's good to see you. And you – " Gray eyes turn on May "- you must be the Hoenn champion…! May?"

May finds her polite, Johto upbringing kicking in, and her spine nearly curves forwards at a right angle in the bow she dives into. "I-it's an honor, Champ- former Champion Cynthia. I'm May, the current League Champion of Hoenn."

When she straightens again, Cynthia's smile is even wider. "It's great to finally meet you in person. I hope my grandma here didn't scare you at all."

May shakes her head for a little too long. "Not at all! Thank you for having me – us."

Dawn giggles at the quip, ducking between May and Cynthia to follow the elderly woman into a kitchenette. Something's on the stove, something with seafood and veggies, and it smells delicious.

"You two joined just in time for dinner. Let's eat first, and talk about what you're here for after. You must be exhausted."

May, as usual, can't turn down free food, especially not free, delicious, home-cooked food. She cautiously kneels before a table situated across from the kitchen, watching numbly as two Sinnoh champions and a three-foot-tall granny bicker over ingredients and prepare a meal. Her gaze wanders – the house is somewhat bare, and small. Around the table are a collection of artifacts and old scrolls, a fireplace, and where a television would normally go is a bookshelf and a shogi table. There's a hallway leading to some bedrooms further back. The fire soon warms May enough that she can shed the rest of her winter garb, moving to tuck most of it where she left her shoes in the entrance hall. Without her bandanna, her head feels bare.

Soon, the other three have taken spots at the table, and they're all digging into their food. May's awkwardness is lost in the salty flavors of the soup. Cynthia asks her a bunch of simple questions, ones she was thinking Dawn probably would – 'how do you like the region so far?' 'is it too cold?' 'how much do you know about Sinnoh already?' 'was your trip okay?' 'how is the workload as champion?' 'you didn't get interrogated by any old people on the way here, did you?' Nothing gets too prying, either – Cynthia's intention on that was to not dig into some memories she may not want to bring up yet, related to the man they'd just found frozen.

When their food is gone and their conversation is dwindling down, they shift over to the couch and chair that surround the fireplace. Cynthia works on cleaning up the kitchen as Dawn kicks back, leaning her head back over the edge of the couch and letting out a long sigh, as if finally unwinding.

May feels uncomfortable in the silence, to say the least, even moreso when under the sharp gaze of the old lady. She could never deal with the elderly well when she lived in Olivine, being an impatient and hotheaded little kid, and most of the elderly in Hoenn were hearty, energetic, and friendly.

The woman sets her cup of tea on the table before her and crosses her arms. "So, then, shall I begin? May I ask what all this is about?"

May shifts, her gaze moving from Dawn to Cynthia and back to the granny.

"I told you, grandma – the man Dawn found in Snowpoint Temple." The faucet turns on with a loud squeak.

"Frozen isn't really the word to describe it," Dawn adds, sitting up to take her own cup of tea. "Joined with the temple walls… that's what it looked like."

Cynthia soon joins them, taking a seat adjacent to May. "That's strange… I've been in that temple countless times and I never sensed anything strange or… _active_ about it. The fact that Pokemon were leaving, too, is strange." Her brow furrows.

The elderly woman's eyes seem to squint even more across from May. "Snowpoint Temple – that is a ruin of a place once dedicated to Regigigas. You know Regigigas, Cynthia – the titan that helped form Sinnoh."

The blonde nodded, her arms crossing as she sat back on the couch, propping her feet up beside Dawn's. May noted her socks had a Togepi pattern on them. "Yes… though it appears much less in Sinnoh creation mythos, and Sinnoh mythos in general, than the others. I have so many questions… aside from how and why on the temple's end – why would Steven Stone have been there in the first place?"

Gazes turn towards the Hoenn Champion, at this. Her jaw clenches as she glances down, as if the answer were in the green tea she held. "I… have no idea. I… hadn't talked to him in years. He hadn't spoken with his father or any of his close friends about this, either."

"Hey – this isn't your fault, May. We're just trying to get information, is all," clarifies Cynthia, and May, not realizing how easy to read she is, looks up with a ginger smile. "We'll figure this out. We just have to take it step-by-step. Besides, we've got three brilliant trainers here – and, grandma, you can go to bed now. _Please_. You should get some rest."

The elderly woman rises. "Yes, yes – now tell me if any of you need something, will you?"

With that, she disappears into the hall. Cynthia's expression tightens, as if she's deep in thought, legitimately stubbed on something. May can't help but be reminded of Steven.

"I… Cynthia, I think this should help us out," Dawn speaks up, anxiously looking between the blonde woman and May. From her bag, she pulls out a small, but thick and heavily-worn, notebook. The cover is black, leather, with a silver insignia on the front that May finds familiar (the pencil sticking out of one of the pages does, as well.)

Cynthia's eyebrows raise. "Oh – that must be… That's right. You mentioned that. It's…"

Dawn hands the notebook over to the former Champion. May's eyes haven't left it.

"That's…" Her shoulders tense. "Devon Corporation…" She'd seen the company's products around Hoenn – _used_ them – enough to recognize the insignia on sight, and even the pencil… her countless trips into the headquarters had made her familiar enough with their little giveaway trinkets.

Dawn carefully looked to May, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "The first time I saw him there, this was sticking out of his front pocket. The… 'crystal' hadn't gotten that far, so I was able to take it." She pauses, her bangs falling in her face as she turned her head downwards. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, May – you didn't seem to handle it well at first, so I wanted to give you some time to… adjust."

She frowns, confused. "Never mind that… what… _is_ it?"

Cynthia turns it over in her hands, her fingers brushing dirt off that'd collected in the leather's crevices.

"Well… A journal," Dawn continues. "I wasn't sure if I should open it, at first, for the sake of his privacy, but… I realized after a couple days that it'd be better if I did."

"I'm assuming there's no clear answer to our dilemma, since you're here right now, Dawn?" Cynthia inquires, pulling open the cover. 'Prospecting Notes – 29' was written on the first page, neatly, in pen, as well as on the journal's binding. May leans forward to get a better look – Steven's name is written out on the page, too, the strokes of each character clean and neat, a lot like the handwriting of that letter she'd gotten so long ago. Her hands twitch on the arms of the chair, itching to look through the journal herself.

"No answers, no. Lots of information… but like I said, I figured it'd be best to bring it to you… I don't really know what it all means. It's…. it's a lot." Dawn looks twice as stressed as either Cynthia or May, shifting in her seat on the couch, and the Hoenn Champion notices that the trainer has stopped meeting her eyes directly. This only makes her more concerned.

Cynthia glances between the two younger women before closing the journal and nodding. Her lips part in a sigh. "In any case, I should get my desk set up, and pull out a few books I own on Snowpoint and the Legendary Titans. You know as well as anyone how tied up I can get when it comes to mythos, Dawn." She stands, then turns to May. "For now, I'll leave this in your hands, May. You seem to know him a bit better – it's only right I let you go over it before I start tearing it apart."

She hesitantly takes the book from the blonde-haired woman, and the concern etched into her expression causes Cynthia to raise her eyebrows and laugh awkwardly.

"Metaphorically, that is. I'll try to keep it in best shape as I can."

With that, the poised woman disappears into a hallway, picking up a few books from the bookshelves around on the way. May glances nervously from Dawn to the journal. Dawn, as expected, stays quiet, begins tapping at some device strapped to her wrist.

The journal is just a bit larger than her hand, but thick, chock-full of notes and small bookmarks and folded sheets of paper. Everything is wrinkled, as if it'd been dropped in water more than a few times. As she opens it, flecks of dirt fall from the creases in the brittle pages into May's lap. A weird smell rises up from it – like a mix of salt water and cologne.

The first few pages are what the cover says it is – notes on rocks. There are sketches and diagrams, with dates, locations, quantity, size, clasts, cleavage, and so on. May keeps turning the pages, on and on, glancing up again at Dawn who's still avoiding her gaze. Just when she's about to question whether the thing really concerns Steven's situation, she sees the next page, and freezes.

It's changed – the entire format has changed. The messy handwriting no doubt made while in a cave under the light of a lantern becomes more structured, and of a completely different tones. There's not a rock in sight – nothing that would be related to 'Prospecting Notes'. But there's a very familiar logo drawn at the top of the page – a skull-and-crossbones type of image, with one spike coming out of the top. Below it – 'team aqua?' is written.

In her peripheral vision, Dawn sees May's face twitch – no doubt she got through the first section.

Below the logo are a bunch of notes, some in bubbles, some with lines drawn between them. Team Aqua. A handful of incidents, involving attempted break-ins, both physical and through hacking, at various Devon-associated locations. There are dates attached to many of them, along with what looks like speculation as to what was the exact target, and some thoughts here and there about why the police weren't cracking down on the gang. May turns the page – there's more notes on this, turns the page again and they've become even denser, full of all kinds of speculation on Steven's end. He, alone, had connected all these incidents and traced them back to Team Aqua…? Slowly, he narrowed it down to aquatic tech they were looking at… Then the submarine, the details on some part they targeted, contacts they'd had with employees…

May has to do a double take at the words at the bottom of the next page. 'Theft in Petalburg Woods' 'Activity getting close to the headquarters', and... Heart racing, she flips the page. Sure enough, there's a record of their first encounter – that his father had dragged a 'random trainer' into things, a whole lot of question marks, more details on the parts that she had been carrying at the time, their destination, and her name is written off by the margin, too. She keeps reading – the notes go back to the gear Aqua had attempted to steal, and Steven tries to figure out what exactly their intentions are from that.

Tri-folded in between the pages is a paper with Joseph Stone's name on it – no doubt the letter she had delivered that day. It feels like forever ago. She hadn't known what she'd been getting into – she was only acting on a stupid, heroic whim.

She can guess what lies further within the journal. Details of his journey during the time of Aqua and Magma's activity, leading up to the disaster… and no doubt, more mentions of herself. The 'Prospecting Notes' label seems strange, misleading almost… May can't wrap her mind around that, unless he simply was out of notebooks at the time and ended up just using one of his geology-related ones.

But she has so many questions – why was he carrying this, so long after the incident? What did Dawn see in it that could actually be of use in finding out what happened?

Footsteps interrupt her thoughts, and the Hoenn Champion jolts up to find Cynthia standing beside her, an apologetic smile on her face.

"If you want to go through it for a while, that's alright, May – I can wait," offers the woman.

"…No, no, it's okay," May stammers. Dawn had gotten up, run into the kitchen to make more tea. The trainer closes up the journal and hands it up to the taller woman. "Really, it's fine – you'll probably make more use of it than me, and I want to do whatever I can to help him, as soon as possible." _I never really was that good at figuring out what he was thinking, either._

Seeing some fire returning to May's eyes, Cynthia feels less bad about tearing the bulky notebook from her hands. But she's excited nonetheless – any opportunity to study Sinnoh's legends was great, but something about this incident was especially driving. Brushing her hair behind her ear, Cynthia nodded at May. "Right – I'm going to get a head start, then. The house is pretty small, so you and Dawn will have to crash out here – Dawn? Can you get May a futon?"

"Yes," replies the black-haired trainer.

And so the two Sinnoh trainers depart on their own tasks, leaving May to quite literally twiddle her thumbs. Part of her wants to go out and battle, but at the same time she knows she doesn't battle well when she's distracted, and if she were to challenge Dawn or Cynthia she'd want to be at the top of her game. Sighing, she flips open her Pokenav, knowing fully well that the Match Call and Map apps are all but useless now. Her brain is half on autopilot, and it navigates her to Steven's contact entry – the last call was a long time ago, and he hadn't picked up, anyway. She'd stopped bothering after a while. Why had she been so insistent on calling in the first place? To talk, maybe? About… _everything?_ So much had happened in those few months, and all of it so quickly, that when it was all over May didn't know how to process it all. Aside from Wallace, she had no one to discuss it with either, unless she wanted to confess something that huge to Brendan or her family… But Steven had been a constant presence through it all, and having him be gone, to not be able to contact him at all, had left her feeling like she was lost at sea. Absently, May looks over his ID info and photo, and wonders if he's still the same person she'd known on her journey. _She_ certainly wasn't.

Suddenly, Dawn is there, and May jumps again. And suddenly it hits her – the awkward glances, the quietness. _Dawn has already read the journal… And if the rest of it covers what I think it does, then…_

"I, erm…" May scratches her head, leaning back in the chair. "I guess you must have a lot of questions."

Deep blue eyes meet black ones, and for once Dawn doesn't glance away. "I… won't pry, May. I'm… sorry for digging into your privacy like that. And again – I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the journal earlier – "

The seated trainer waves her hand, softly replying, "It's fine, it's fine… Honestly, you were bound to find out at some point, if whatever this situation _is_ goes as deep as I think it does."

Her hands wrapped around the steaming cup of tea, Dawn takes a seat, tucking her legs beneath her. "…What do you mean by that?"

"…I don't know, really… I guess that's where Cynthia comes in," sighs May, running her hand into her bangs. "As significant as it was… the disaster with Kyogre and Groudon happened years ago. I can't understand why Steven would have it on him, now, unless…"

"…Unless whatever he was there for was related to that, in some way?" finishes Dawn.

"Yes. And if that's the case…" She bites the inside of her cheek, curses the uncomfortable roll her stomach makes, "…why didn't he tell anyone about it? If something related to the disaster was going on? Not just me – Wallace, too. Ah, he's a Sootopolitan – he was one of the other few people involved…"

"Oh, the journal mentioned him too, yes," Dawn is nodding her head in understanding. "It did seem like he and Steven had a close relationship, and shared information regarding Kyogre and Groudon together without stressing over all the red tape the Pokemon League puts up."

May hums in agreement, but Dawn's own backing up of her statement makes her more uneasy. As powerful as the urge was to take action, do whatever was necessary to get Steven back to good health and out of that frozen hole in the ground, she can't deny that after this much time she truly has no idea how he thought and felt about anything, and about what led him here.

Her gaze wanders up, hand weaving out from messy chestnut bangs. Dawn's sitting up, mouth half-open as if she's about to say something, and May waits, but words never come. The Sinnoh Champion hunches over a little, shutting her mouth, and then stares awkwardly at the last bit of tea left in her cup, bushy eyebrows casting shadows over her eyes.

"…In any case, the futon is set up and ready. You should sleep." The trainer rises, prompting May to do the same. "You're probably anxious… but sleep is important, especially in Sinnoh. The hiking takes more out of you than you realize. Cynthia will probably be in there all night, going through that thing…"

A half-smile creeps onto May's lips – she's no stranger to overtiredness. No matter the source. It's true that anxiety about the entire situation has made her guts feel like they've melted to soup, but more than that her back and rear ache from travel on Salamence, and she can feel the blurry beginnings of a cold gathering up in her head.

The Hoenn Champion says her thank-yous and goodnights to Dawn before excusing herself to the bathroom, going through a dreary routine of letting down and combing through her knotted, shoulder-length brown hair, scoffing briefly at her own sunken, red eyes and chapped lips, and brushing her teeth, once she figures out how the old-fashioned sink works. The futon smells like a mix of jasmine and mothballs, but with how clogged her sinuses are getting the scent hardly bothers May. While Sinnoh's quiet winter still sits in wait outside the house, it's not dead silent – through the wall she can hear Cynthia hard at work, flipping pages and scritching a pencil against paper, murmuring to herself now and then. Sleep comes to Dawn earlier, apparently, and somewhere else in the dark room May hears soft snoring coming from the reserved trainer. Gradually, her own breathing evens out and she drifts off into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

 **A/N** : I wasn't expecting to enjoy writing Dawn and May this much, but here I am lol.


End file.
